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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24969490">Troubling Starts</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/qwerth/pseuds/qwerth'>qwerth</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Tsuki's Misadventures in the Devildom [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Shall We Date?: Obey Me!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Anxiety Attacks, Anxiety Disorder, Canon Divergence, Cooking, Enemies to Friends, Explicit Language, Gen, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, MC has a foul mouth, MC is a OC and has a name, MC is gender neutral, Original Character(s), Pre-Relationship, Sharing a Bed, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Violence, chatting, enemies to friends to lovers is part 2, game spoilers until lesson 8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 00:21:53</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>46,948</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24969490</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/qwerth/pseuds/qwerth</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>What would happen if the MC has a strong personality and zero patience for the demon brothers? Find out in this fic! Following a reluctant MC who just wants no problems but can't have a single moment of peace in the Devildom. </p><p>Rated M due to language and light mentions of violence.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Tsuki's Misadventures in the Devildom [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1807312</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>168</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Highway to Hell</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi! This is the first fanfic I write in years, English is not my native language but I have a beta reader.<br/>This work is full of headcanons, I like taking on some ideas/gaps from the canon and exploring them. I prefer to explore on the canon gaps instead of making a canon retelling.<br/>Ask me about my headcanons too!<br/>Would also like to send a big 'Thank you!' to my friends Camilla and PufferCat for keeping up with me!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Chapter 1 – Highway to Hell</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You are walking down the street after leaving your friend’s house. Trying to convince them to share apartment rent was easy; securing a job so you can pay the rent is the hard part. Walking relatively calmly, you look at your phone for a second to change the current song. When you look up again, you blink. Suddenly, you are in a completely different place. Blinking again, you realized there are two men standing in front of you, whom you have never seen before in your life, in a place that you have never stood a foot in your entire life. It kind of looks like a courtroom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Welcome to the Devildom, Tsukishima!” the man in red greets you.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>How does he know my name?</span>
  </em>
  <span>’</span>
</p><p>
  <span> The man presents himself as a Diavolo, demon, and not any demon</span>
  <span>—</span>
  <span>the future ruler of Hell. Well, Devildom. You watch him, immoveable, saying how you have been selected to be an exchange student at his own Academy. And he is also the president of the Student Council, where you were currently. Dude is the prince of Devildom, president of the student council and also a student?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Am I dreaming?” you speak up, stoically, for the first time since you got yourself here.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Haha, what a very human thing to say! You must be exactly who we are looking for,” Diavolo says, excited.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You keep your apathetic gaze on him. This makes no sense. You didn’t even volunteer for it, how did they even find you? Why did they choose you? What? The black-haired man, Lucifer (‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>The</span>
  </em>
  <span> Lucifer?’) expands on Diavolo’s program and says you have to stay here for a year.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why </span>
  <em>
    <span>me</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” You cannot believe this is happening, that is ridiculous. “Listen, I don’t even know how you found me, I never agreed to participate in this...thing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, but you did. You filled the report,” Diavolo tells you, never losing his easy smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No? I didn’t.” You drop the calm façade, throwing your hand through the air. “I have never…!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Stopping yourself, you suddenly remember a certain funny survey you found on the internet a few months ago. It caught your attention because you thought it was some sort of joke. A survey to participate in an exchange program in a funny place that didn’t exist.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, my Lord…” You take your hands to your face as the realization hits you. “That one survey… I only did it because I was bored after filling forms to try to get a master’s scholarship…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Diavolo confirms, “I made one of my servants go into the Human World and sent that survey around so we could get enough human applicants to choose from! Of course, there were some more selection steps till we reached you.” Diavolo smiles and winks as if it were a big honor. To study in a place full of demons.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> The longer you stay here, standing in the front of the two demons, the more real the situation becomes. And it </span>
  <em>
    <span>terrifies</span>
  </em>
  <span> you. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not agreeing to it.” You cross your arms, defiant. “Take me back.” When the demons (they didn’t even </span>
  <em>
    <span>look</span>
  </em>
  <span> like demons) get angry and attack you, then you’ll wake up from this dream. It </span>
  <em>
    <span>has</span>
  </em>
  <span> to be a dream.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Diavolo drops his smile and Lucifer frowns.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry but that won’t be possible,” Diavolo looks away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>What do you mean?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” You are losing all your patience.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We mean, all the arrangements were already done. We even brought you a suitcase,” Lucifer explains.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“WHAT?” The two demons’ eyes widen. “I’m not even allowed to go to my house one last time!?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, you’re staying here for a year,” Lucifer says firmly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>  You find yourself at a loss of words. Isn’t this basically kidnapping? Is the school part even for real? Well, if they wanted to kill you, they would have done it already.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I…” Your gaze goes from one to the other, rapidly trying to find a way to get yourself out of it. “This… This is a terrible idea! I am an </span>
  <em>
    <span>awful</span>
  </em>
  <span> human being! I would bring nothing but problems to you and your whole exchange program. I recommend finding someone else,” you say, hoping they can’t smell lies.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Diavolo looks pensive for a moment and Lucifer looks ready to start an argument.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But your parents spoke very well of you,” Diavolo says, deep in thought. “They looked very happy about your exchange to Japan.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Diavolo’s words shock you so much that time seems to freeze. You must have looked so off that Lucifer gets close and waves a hand in front of your eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Human, are you ok?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Of course, they would have taken the first opportunity to get rid of you!</span>
  </em>
  <span>’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You spoke to my parents?” You don’t even know why you asked, you are still too shocked to be forming any coherent thoughts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, you can’t just disappear for a whole year without informing anyone,” Lucifer says, as if it were something very obvious. It kind of is, now that you think about it. “Besides, we needed to bring you clothes and personal hygiene items.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Wow. They are serious.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You try to bother them, begging to be sent back, but Diavolo and Lucifer both had made up their minds. Lucifer starts dragging you out by your arm. You swear, loudly, making both stare at you for a second. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Fine</span>
  </em>
  <span>, if you have to stand living in the Devildom for a whole year, the demons will have to stand </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> as well.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <b> Lucifer’s POV (3</b>
  <b>rd</b>
  <b> person)</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Lucifer had a really long day and it wasn’t even lunch time yet. He had brought the selected human to Lord Diavolo to explain about the exchange student situation. Unfortunately, the human in question had thrown a fit, insisted he wasn’t doing any of it, and demanded to be sent back to the human world. It takes a long time to calm them down until they respect Diavolo’s wishes about the exchange program. They still don’t look satisfied at all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> The avatar of pride brings him straight to the House of Lamentation after the reunion in the Student Council. They don’t say a single word to Lucifer, looking more and more pissed by each passing minute. Honestly, Lucifer feels lied to. From the report photo he thought they would be a calm, decent, and smart human, but in reality, they look like a </span>
  <em>
    <span>punk</span>
  </em>
  <span>. The human is wearing ripped jeans, an oversized shirt with a big leather jacket, and their boots and collar have spikes on them. They also have several piercings in their ears. Well, they kind of look like a demon like this, so maybe it’s a good thing? </span>
  <em>
    <span>No</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Lucifer thinks, it will be even worse if they are not well behaved and have poor manners.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> He had previously selected a nice room for the human, the one with the tree and vines, with a big window to the garden. Humans like nature, right? He hopes so. Lucifer opens the door to the human’s room and leaves their suitcase on top of their bed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is your room, you can do whatever here. No one is going to come to clean it up for you, so it is your responsibility,” he explains.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s a tree in my room,” the human deadpans.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Lucifer watches them go to the tree and take a long look at it, paying attention to every detail.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How there’s a tree in my room?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is it not to your liking?” Lucifer almost rolls his eyes. He is not preparing another room for a picky human.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, no, no, this is so rad,” says the human. Now they don’t sound so angry. “Do I have to water it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I…” Lucifer didn’t expect such a positive reaction. “No need to, there are small lesser demons that take care of the garden and the plants in this room. You won’t even notice them, they do their job while we are at RAD.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Their curious eyes scan the tree and the vines again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I see, I guess I’ll go see the garden later.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“By the way,” adds Lucifer, “here we all split the tasks. You’ll be added to the cooking and cleaning duty roster and you’ll be expected to do your part accordingly. Are we clear?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> They take a second to process the information.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, is this just like a dorm?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>A dorm? Ah, yes, this works,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> Lucifer thinks. Better make this whole situation more familiar to the human.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, just like a dorm,” he confirms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Lucifer’s D.D.D rings and he sees a text from Asmo, telling him all of his brothers are in the common room now. Great. Lucifer groans and takes the human to meet his brothers. He is already wondering how much he will regret having accepted to take care of the human at his house even before he reaches the common room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> He introduces Tsukishima Kanae to each of the brothers in the common room, and internally prays this whole program will run as uneventfully as possible. Which, if he were being honest, won’t happen. Tsukishima tells them to just call them ‘Tsuki’ and Lucifer proceeds to tell Mammon to watch over them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ehh? But why me?” Mammon complains.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because you are the least of a threat to them,” says Lucifer, seriously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Mammon continues to complain, but Lucifer keeps his straight face till he realizes he is not changing his mind. The human—</span>
  <em>
    <span>Tsuki</span>
  </em>
  <span>—remains with their arms crossed and their apathetic expression besides Lucifer. Asmo is the first to come to greet them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, so you’re the human that will be joining us for a year? You’re quite cute!” Asmo tries to touch their face, but Tsuki quickly slaps it away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Lucifer’s eyes widen and Asmo freezes with shock.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I want to let all of you know that I am a red belt on Taekwondo and I</span>
  <em>
    <span> won’t hesitate</span>
  </em>
  <span> to bring my foot to y’all faces, so, don’t you </span>
  <em>
    <span>dare</span>
  </em>
  <span> touch me,” Tsuki warns, dead serious.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> There is a heavy silence for a moment. Asmo slowly brings his hand back to his body, his eyes still wide open with a weird, pained, expression.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My face is too pretty to be hurt…” he murmurs. Lucifer can’t remember the last time someone was so </span>
  <em>
    <span>cold </span>
  </em>
  <span>to Asmo. He is as shocked as his brother, and both stay without any reaction for a few seconds. Then, Satan’s laugh echoes through the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This human has guts!” Satan exclaims after a long laugh. “I bet we’ll have an interesting year. What do you guys think of them, Beel, Levi?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Lucifer turns his gaze to Beel first, who has a big bag of snacks in his hand, eating, as usual. Levi is disinterested in the whole thing, playing with his D.D.D. He only looks up after Satan has said his name.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Unless they are a loner otaku like me, I really don’t care,” says Levi in monotone. He quickly takes his eyes back to his game, murmuring something about human normies. Whatever that means.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Beel pays a little more attention to the human before saying:</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They look tasty.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“EH?!” Tsuki yells. They jerk away, ready to either hide or run away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He won’t actually eat you,” says Lucifer, getting over his shock. “In Beel’s language it means he thinks you’re fine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that so?” They don’t look convinced. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>  Mammon moves close and eyes the human from head to toes. Tsuki is starting to look all angry again. Lucifer can feel a headache coming.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, I need to look after this thing? All the time in RAD?” </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Is he </span>
  </em>
  <span>really </span>
  <em>
    <span>going to keep complaining?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have a </span>
  <em>
    <span>name,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Tsuki barks. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Now</span>
  </em>
  <span> they are angry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Lucifer sighs, and he tries to calm down before saying something he would regret.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You just need to not let them be bothered or attacked by any demon, you understand?” he sends his best ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>do what I'm telling you to do</span>
  </em>
  <span>’ face to Mammon. Then he gestures at both Tsuki and Mammon. “Can’t you two, just, play along?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Somehow, the human looks very offended.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am not a child!” Tsuki shouts. “I am an adult. I have a </span>
  <em>
    <span>degree.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>  Lucifer only groans, not impressed. It means nothing in their current situation. Theoretically, they </span>
  <em>
    <span>are</span>
  </em>
  <span> a child to Lucifer and his brothers, but saying that now will only get them even angrier.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Trying to end the unnecessary discussion, Lucifer suggests that the human go back to their room and unpack. They look so displeased that Lucifer almost yells at them to do what he said and to take that smug expression off their face, but he manages to keep quiet. After what must appear to be an ‘intense glaring battle,’ Tsuki screams “Fine!” and returns to their room. Lucifer says that no one was to bother them until lunch. His brothers listen, for once. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Troublemaker</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>All the chapters titles are a reference to a song that I think may fit the chapter as a whole. Chapter 1 being named Highway to Hell (by AC/DC) and this one is Troublemaker by Olly Murs ft. Flo Rida.<br/>Also, this fic is done, I'm in the process of editing with my beta reader so expect constant updates. There will be one shots using this same MC/OC and at least one more part.</p><p>Warning for this chapter: some descriptions of violence (nothing gore level).</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Chapter 2 - Troublemaker</b>
</p><p> </p><p> Getting used to living in the Devildom is tough. There are demons everywhere, meaning you can’t let your guard down at any second. The hosts from the dorm are the worst and the food is completely different. At RAD, unknown demons harass and call you things, especially two demons whom you never bothered learning the names of—you just call them Dumb and Dumber. They attend the classroom right next to yours. You always have the terrible luck of constantly bumping into them in the corridors of RAD. You decide to ignore them. In human school, you know ignoring the bullies never works. Now that you are in the Devildom, where any demon can split you in half without sweating, confrontation isn’t the best of the ideas. Maybe they will get tired of you faster than human bullies.</p><p> At the House of Lamentation there are the damn six demon brothers. Mammon is a complete idiot, an irresponsible little shit. You thought his brothers were exaggerating when they called him the scummiest of the scum, but they are right. Mammon wouldn’t know what responsibility is if it hit him in the face. Not only that, but he is also a kleptomaniac and money addicted. The piece of trash had thought of selling your clothes and possessions for money. What the Hell. You make sure to give one of your chocolates to Beel after he tells you this.</p><p> Asmo is also insufferable. After a couple of days, he starts trying to get closer to you and you don’t know if he is trying to seduce you or if the amount of flirting he says is a really disturbing way to get to know someone. ‘<em> Best of luck trying to seduce an ace person </em>’. He is so strange, asking to do your hair, makeup and go shopping. You tell him ‘no’ every time but, good Lord, he is insistent. Asmo is also the most narcissistic person you have ever met. You make sure to always point it out, so maybe he’d eventually get pissed off at you and leave you alone.</p><p> Satan is the most decent of them all. For being the Avatar of Wrath, dude is ridiculously chill. You haven't seen him angry yet, and he is always smiling and reading books. Satan had offered to help you study and it turned out he is a pretty good teacher. Although, he always seems to get bothered by Lucifer. His mood gets sour when Lucifer is around, but he doesn’t stick to it after his oldest brother is gone. Strange. Maybe it’s what they call sibling rivalry.</p><p> Beel is also very decent, alongside Satan. Dude has a black hole in his stomach but aside from his never-ending eating, he is quite cool. He works out at the gym past the House, and not only does he eat, he also cooks. He never bothers you and has taught you how to cook some simpler dishes. He is also very patient and pleasant in general, a cool guy; you have nothing against Beel. You wish Lucifer had sent Beel to be your guardian and not the mess that is Mammon.</p><p> Levi is an enigma. Always inside his room. His brothers had told you he is a lonely otaku and only speaks about manga, anime and games. You like games and have watched some anime in the past but, still, getting close to Levi is proving to be very difficult.</p><p> And there is Lucifer. You quickly learn he is the boss. All of his brothers fear him and he works directly for the Prince of the Devildom, Lord Diavolo. Lucifer doesn’t just own the House of Lamentation; he <em> acts </em> like he owns the place. You don’t like how he is always reminding his brothers and you of your tasks but honestly, after meeting his brothers for one week, you can see why he looks so <em> done </em>all the time. They are all stupid as fuck and always fighting with each other. They even fight over the remote control! You may not know how to approach Lucifer, but you can see the man as a single father desperate to make his ‘kids’ act like proper adults. Except for maybe Satan, Satan looks like he is responsible.</p><p> Now, why must you be so unlucky? The other human exchange student is a sorcerer and he gets to live with the nice angels in Purgatory Hall. ‘<em> Why are all the dorm names so edgy? </em> ’ Like, why is the <em> sorcerer </em> , the shady fucker that can use magic, living with the angels while the poor, normal human has to live with <em> six </em> demons? ‘ <em> Life is so unfair.’ </em> Luke and Simeon both look twenty times chiller and more pleasant than the idiots at House of Lamentation.</p><p> You can’t <em> wait </em>for this year to end.</p><p> </p><p> No one is ever going to believe the amount of time it took you to put on this stupid uniform for the first time. The pants, shirt, and shoes didn’t have anything out of the ordinary but, dear Lord, what is <em> wrong </em>with this coat?! How in Hell did one successfully can close it and attach the cape in the right way without a big old book of instructions? Well, you did, after what it feels like an hour. It was also ridiculous close to an hour of work too. The coat still looks a bit off and wrinkled, but honest, you aren’t bothering with it anymore. When you were about to leave, you noticed the three ties you got together with the uniform. One is an ugly mustard color, the other is some pale pink that also looks pretty awful to you. The purple one is the only decent tie. Unfortunately, you don’t know how to knot a tie and you’re starting to run late, so you leave your room and the ties behind.</p><p> Mammon meets you in the hallway, he scolds you and complains loudly about you being late. Fuck him, someone should have offered help. <em> ‘Or I could have asked for help? Naaaaah.’ </em>Whatever. You don’t like anyone bragging in your room, you want it to be your safe haven, so better wake up earlier and try to not let the demons wait. </p><p> Rushing to eat something, you try the foods that look the most normal to you. Toast, some inoffensive looking bread, the coffee. Yesterday at dinner you already break down a fight with the demons because half of what they eat is either poison or downright disgusting. The textures all feel off too. Maybe you’ll finally lose those 5kg (11 lbs) that you have been wanting to.</p><p> The oldest demon, also known as The Lucifer, the real one, the big deal, and more than likely the impulse control of all those crazy demons, appears last. He barely takes a sip of coffee and his eyes are already squinting at you. </p><p>“Where is your tie?”</p><p>“What the fuck? Not even a ‘good morning’?” you say in a reflection, the demon frown deepens. “I don’t know how to make a tie.”</p><p>“Well, you should have learned how to do it.”</p><p>“Are you serious? I had to learn how to properly close this awful coat by myself! I was not going to wing it with a tie too!” you yell, his angry expression never changes.</p><p>“The tie is part of the uniform, I am going to let it slip today but tomorrow you better start wearing your tie.”</p><p> You groan. This demon is impossible!</p><p>“Really? Because Mammon and Leviathan are barely using a tie correctly! In fact, their coats are all messed up too! Satan and Asmodeus aren’t using ties! Satan has a <em> bowtie </em> and Asmodeus a ribbon! Beelzebub doesn’t even <em> have </em>a tie!” and as you glare at Lucifer, you notice something else. “Wait, YOU AREN’T USING A TIE EITHER, YOU HYPOCRITE!”</p><p> The demon growls, banging his hand on the table and making everything shake.</p><p>“Some members of the Student Council have been given permission to change their uniform a little, but you, as an exchange student, should use the official RAD uniform without any changes. Therefore, you <em> are </em>using a tie starting tomorrow.”</p><p>“Bullshit.”</p><p>“I won’t repeat myself,” saying it, Lucifer stands up and storms off the dining room.</p><p> Mammon, Beel and Levi are looking at you with widened eyes as if they are seeing a ghost. Satan and Asmo however, are giggling excitedly. Satan even goes to greet you and says “Good job.” ‘Good job’ at <em> what </em>? Pissing off your landlord? Those demons are all crazy, no point wasting time with them, you should go to RAD.</p><p> </p><p> What even is RAD supposed to <em> be </em> ? The structure, from what you could see, is like an average college. But there is high school stuff in here too? The uniform and extracurricular clubs being the biggest examples. Well, it doesn’t matter. Right now you are staring at the purple tie as if it had personally offended you. You even searched for it on DevilTube and tried with the ugly mustard tie, but it came off so <em> bad </em>. Would Lucifer be even angrier today if you appear without a tie? … Yes, he would.</p><p> Trying to be smart, you leave your room with the tie in hands. Lucky or not, you bump with Lucifer as you enter the dining room. You give him a nervous smile while he glares at you. Before he can question your lack of tie, you show it to him.</p><p>“I don’t know how to do it,” you simply say. Hoping he can actually teach you.</p><p> The demon sighs and hastily takes the tie from your hands. Without giving you any warning, Lucifer passes the tie around your neck and pulls you forward, his strength makes you stumble towards the demon.  </p><p>“I will only explain it once, so pay attention, human,” he warns. Your stomach hurts and your heart starts beating faster from this proximity. Not being close with another person, you are not used to being this close to anyone. In fact, he’s rude, this man has no notion of boundaries. </p><p> You <em> should </em>be keeping your attention to his fast hands, that are showing you how to properly knot a tie, or on his words, he is explaining everything, or you think he is because you start daydreaming the second you step closer to the demon. Both because you feel uncomfortable by having your personal space invaded and because the demon is just too gorgeous. Now close, you can see his dark eyes, his iris are half a very dark color and bloody red. His hair falls almost impeccably on his eyes and he seems to not have a single imperfection on his face. Only a small part of his neck is visible from his weird turtleneck. He may be rude, bossy and too easy to anger, but damn, the demon is beautiful.</p><p>“Did you get it?” you feel a faint tug on your neck. Suddenly, you snap your eyes back to Lucifer’s, he has stopped talking and is now staring at you seriously. Then your eyes fall back to your neck, the tie looks perfectly done. And you haven’t heard a single word of what he said.</p><p> Forcing yourself, you take a step away from the demon. Your cheeks feel so hot, you must be bright red. Though you attempt to smile, it feels <em> impossible </em>to fake a smile under the stern and intense look from Lucifer.</p><p>“You are a bad teacher.”</p><p> Those words leave you before you can think twice. Panic is already forming inside of you while the demon looks too shocked to react. When you open your mouth to apologize, he reacts. Shakes his head and crosses his arms after a minute, still frowning.</p><p>“Then ask someone else for help, I don’t care as long as you start wearing your uniform right.”</p><p> Wanting to just end it, you nod, remaining quiet this time, and Lucifer nods and leave you behind. Sitting to eat your breakfast, you see the brother with the exact same expressions from yesterday. Levi and Beel being worried as if you are signing your obituary, Mammon not caring, Satan laughing delighted and Asmo giggling, also finding it all very funny. Figured. Since Satan looks the most decent one, you’ll ask him for help with the tie later.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>  By the end of your first week at RAD you are in a particularly bad mood. You aren’t adjusting well to the Devildom <em> at all </em> . All the brothers do the whole day is fight with each other or stay alone in their own corners. Sleeping isn’t coming easy either. The subjects in RAD are difficult and so different from what you are used to. Only the human classes are easier. And let’s not forget the free offenses random demons tell you <em> every day </em> . The “lower” demons Lucifer warned you about still haven’t done anything <em> physical </em> to you, but they enjoy calling you names, saying how good it would be to eat you (and you are not sure if the knowledge they were being literal makes you like it more or less), and offending you in every way possible. You don’t have a name either, it’s only “human.” Your stress levels hadn’t been this high since high school. This place is literally Hell.</p><p> Despite Lucifer’s warnings, Mammon is no guardian; he is barely around you in RAD so you just wander alone. You rush to the library after class ended on a Friday. You had been asking Satan to help you with homework for the last few days, but you don’t want to keep bothering him. It is relatively calm since the semester had just started. The way it is mostly empty pleased you at first, until you see Dumb and Dumber on the end of the hallway to the library. You aren’t even sure if they know how to read.</p><p>“Oh, look, the little shrimp,” says one. You keep your accelerated pace, ignoring them.</p><p> You notice the moment one puts a leg in your way to drop you. ‘<em> Ha, idiot, </em>’ you saw that. You change directions only for the other to elbow you in the back and make you trip and fall anyway. It’s always like this, one saying offenses and the other encouraging the friend. They laugh at you. Slowly, you put your hands on the ground and breath deeply, trying to calm yourself, which is proving to be impossible, since your stress levels are at the top.</p><p>“You soul seems delicious, why don’t you let us devour it?”</p><p>  You stand up, look at them, mortally serious, clenching your fists.</p><p>“Why don’t you go fuck yourself with a cactus?”</p><p> The surprise in their faces only lasts a second but it is priceless. Their faces twist in anger and it’s all or nothing now. Theoretically, taekwondo should be used as self-defense only as a last resort, but, since you're in Hell and those demons will very much try to kill you, you assume it counts as self-defense. You kick the one closer to you in the face before he can even finish transforming into his demon form. He lets out a yelp, though short lived. At least you gave them the first punch (kick, in this case) and made it memorable. Enjoying the moment, you try another kick, just to be frustrated when the demon evades you and grabs your arm. You hear it snap and the pain is so massive you scream. Probably the loudest scream you ever managed to scream in your life. And the biggest pain you ever felt, almost causing you to pass out.  </p><p> Immovable by pain, your eyes shut tight, waiting the worst. You wanted your last thought to be ‘<em> At least I lived a good life </em> ’ but you didn't, not really. For a second nothing happens. Only when you hear the sound of wings and a sudden breeze do you open your eyes, just in time to hear the sound of bones breaking again, but this time not yours. It’s the turn of the demon to scream in pain as you watch Lucifer, in his demon form, tighten his hand around the arm of the demon that had done the same to you a few seconds ago. The demon lets you go and you stumble back and fall, sitting on the ground. The knees of the demon hit the floor <em> and he keeps screaming </em> . Lucifer looks absolutely terrifying. At one point, he releases the demon’s arm, who clutches it in pain, while Lucifer keeps glaring at them with murderous intent. Both of the demons seem to shrink and you are pretty sure they are begging for their life now. You don’t think they deserve to <em> die </em>, and definitely not because of you.</p><p>“Lu…” Your voice is so weak. “Luci…fer.” You try to speak again, a mess of fear and pain. You don't even look at your arm, afraid it will only make the pain worse. </p><p> The oldest demon brother and avatar of pride doesn’t seem to hear you. He takes one step further in the demons’ direction, always looking straight into their souls, and you think he might actually kill them. You are already soaked in sweat when the screams of the demons get louder.</p><p>“Lucifer!” He stops. The demons go dead silent while Lucifer starts to turn his face towards you. If looks could kill everyone would already be dead. He is like a top predator, about to jump into his prey and destroy them. You gulp, lips trembling.</p><p>“Y-You can st...stop now…” you manage to say under his intense gaze. “They… They already learned their lesson…” Lucifer straightens his position, still eyeing you. You start feeling lightheaded, oh God, you might actually pass out if he keeps staring at you like that. If you didn’t know what real fear felt like before, you do now. You feel small, weak and cold, and might die just from his oppressive presence. ‘<em> How are those two demons still breathing?! </em>’</p><p>“Are you sure, <em> human </em> ?” You don’t really like the way he says “human,” it doesn’t sit right in your stomach. Though, it must be a reminder of what he is, a <em> demon </em>.</p><p>“Let them go, please...” you say with your last bit of strength.</p><p> Lucifer studies you for a minute before turning again to the demons, who gasp audibly once his gaze is set on them again.</p><p>“I want you two to <em> vanish </em> from my field of vision now and never approach Tsuki <em> ever again </em> , or I <em> will </em>kill you both,” Lucifer warns in what could only be a hundred percent serious tone.</p><p> They, indeed, stand up and run away as soon as Lucifer finishes talking. The demon faces the ground for a few seconds, suddenly walks a few steps and stops. His wings twitch, his back turned to you. He might be trying to calm down, you hope. You want to stand too, but your legs feel like jelly and your left arm is arching.</p><p> When Lucifer turns to you again, he seems a little less threatening. He kneels in front of you, making you flinch, staring at your broken arm.</p><p>“How are you?’ he says after a long pause. His voice sounds closer to his normal voice now.</p><p> You look at your arm. The middle of the bone, where it is broken, is starting to become red and swollen.</p><p>“My arm hurts, but aside from it, I’m okay.”</p><p>“Can you stand?”</p><p> You are not sure, theoretically yes, but.</p><p> Before you can tell Lucifer your answer, he takes you in his arms. You yell in surprise, making him stop, suddenly. He probably thinks he hurt you even though you have to admit, he is a lot gentler than what you expected.</p><p>“I-I-I’m fine!” you say, using your good arm to grab at Lucifer’s shoulder. When you look at him, the demon is a lot more startled than angry. He shakes his head.</p><p>“Nonsense, I’ll take you to the infirmary,” he says in that ‘don’t you dare argue with me’ tone.</p><p> You are tired and hurting and so let Lucifer retrieve your backpack from the ground. He doesn’t seem to be bothered with your weight so you just let him take you to a doctor, praying they have some strong demon-like medicine to fix your arm.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> Lucifer actually flies through the academy to get you to the infirmary. It’s kind of fun, would have been a lot more fun if your arm weren’t broken and if he weren’t flying at the speed of sound. The nurse demon has experience with human injuries (you don’t want to know how or why) and treats your arm nicely. Lucifer escorts you back to the house and spends a good three hours lecturing not only you and Mammon but the rest of his brothers too. If you thought he was intense back then, the way he lectures his brothers made you rethink it. You force yourself to not fall asleep, worried it could only make him keep talking more. Unfortunately for Mammon, his real punishment still awaits him. He is bound in ropes and hung upside down in the middle of the stairs. ‘<em> He deserves it’ </em> , you think, bitterly. After all that, if at least two of Lucifer’s brothers aren’t following you around in RAD, their punishments will be even worse than Mammon’s or a ‘few’ broken bones. Needless to say, the atmosphere is <em> very </em>tense at the end of his lecture.</p><p>“And if they are not following my orders you <em> must </em> tell me or I’ll punish <em> you </em> too,” Lucifer warns you, sending a shiver down your spine. Unable to find your voice, you only nod to show you heard him, loud and clear.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> The next day, Lord Diavolo asks to see you in his office, at the Student Council. You have to wake up earlier to not miss any classes. Satan and Asmo follow you around in the morning until you reach the building of the council. They leave you with Barbatos, Diavolo’s servant, only after a lot of insistence from him and after he promises he will escort you to the classroom.</p><p> You eye the demon, suspicious. You don’t like the way he smiles. It reminds you of Solomon, always smiling for no reason. It doesn’t sit well with you; their smiles don’t seem genuine. Barbatos decides to wait outside while you enter Diavolo’s office.</p><p> Diavolo shows you a smile and gesticulates for you to sit in the chair right in front of him. His office is a small but elegant room, with red walls and dark furniture. When you met the prince, you thought he was some crazy demon who was out of touch with reality and had too much time on his hands. Now you see you are wrong; he’s more like a grandpa that tries too hard to be cool.</p><p>“So, Tsuki, how’s your arm?”</p><p> Quite an obvious start. You look at your plastered left arm for a second.</p><p>“Well, I suffered many injuries in my life before but this is the first time I broke my arm.”</p><p> His smile falters, and now he has a worried expression.</p><p>“I honestly hope you won’t suffer any other injury this year,” Diavolo says, his voice calm. “I lectured the two demons that attacked you yesterday and I’m sure they won’t be a problem anymore. But you should also let us know if any student, demon or not, is troubling you.”</p><p>“Ok,” you nod. Is this going to be long? It’s true you have just gotten here but you already want to go out.</p><p>“Changing the subject, how’s your stay at the House of Lamentation?” he smiles again, expectantly. “What do you think of the brothers?”</p><p>“How can I put it into words?” you wonder out loud. “Let me see, they are all hyperactive and volatile packs of <em> danger </em> and I honestly think you made a big mistake by not putting me in the Purgatory Hall with the cool angels after kidnapping me.” You see the exact moment when Diavolo gasps. “Answering your question, they are all filled with issues and <em> I </em> am filled with issues too and I don't really think I’ll be surviving long enough to see the end of the year.”</p><p> Diavolo is left at a loss for words for a minute. He opens and closes his mouth so many times, it’s funny; you’re forced to fight a smile.</p><p>“Haha… You sure are honest, Tsuki! But I’m sure you’ll be able to befriend them just fine,” he assures you, looking a bit flustered. You get the feeling he is forcing himself to be positive. “There’s no mistake.” He gets serious, all of a sudden. “My idea of sending you to the House of Lamentation was to show the brothers that humans aren’t as bad as they think. And, who knows, maybe you can even be the positive change they need?”</p><p>“Lord Diavolo, let me be honest, not even <em> I </em>like humans,” you clarify, deadly serious.</p><p> He’s all caught off guard again. You take a hand to your face and cover your mouth, trying to prevent yourself from laughing at the Prince of Hell.</p><p>“I get it! You’re only stressed because of how sudden the change is for you!” You sigh and bury your face in your hands. There’s no winning over him. He’s just another stupid demon. “I am serious about your safety, though,” Diavolo’s voice seemed to get more serious and you look back at him. He had dropped the smile into a neutral expression. “Keep me updated on your situation in the House of Lamentation. If you really don’t get used to living there I can move you to the Purgatory Hall.” <em> Now </em> he is talking your language. “Let’s see, maybe we can mark another check up in a month?”</p><p>“That sounds good, Lord Diavolo.” You fix your posture in the chair and show him a half smile.</p><p>“Good. And, only Diavolo is fine, no need for formalities.”</p><p> After that, Diavolo makes a few questions about your studies at RAD and you let him know you’re doing ok. When the conversation is over, Diavolo calls Barbatos to take you to the classroom, where the classes should be starting by now.</p><p> It’s a quiet walk for a while. Barbatos doesn’t insist in any small talk. A rare thing, since every demon you had met so far loved talking. Apparently, unless you talk he’ll just remain silent, and it’s starting to bother you.</p><p>“So. You’re Diavolo’s servant, right? But do you attend RAD as well?” you ask, curious. His RAD uniform is wildly different from the usual. It reminds you of a butler’s attire.</p><p>“Correct, but I am not a student. I simply follow and help Lord Diavolo in his daily activities,” he replies, very politely.</p><p>“I see, so, you’re like a secretary then?” he looks a bit surprised by the comparison, but after a second to consider, he nods. “Man, isn’t it boring to be following him around all the time and listening to the classes all day when you aren’t even a student yourself?”</p><p> Barbatos stops. He opens his mouth and you are worried you had offended him, somehow, but he closes his mouth right after and takes a moment to consider again. He has a weird expression. You can’t say if he is offended, surprised or disgusted. Though, he recomposes himself after a moment and sets his expression on his usual smile.</p><p>“I am perfectly happy being a servant of Lord Diavolo. And I find watching the classes a way to enrich one’s knowledge. You are a pretty unusual human, aren’t you?”</p><p> That isn’t a question but an affirmation.</p><p> “Really?” It isn’t a question either. “I guess I am. Surely, I’m <em> far </em> from normal.”</p><p>“Nevertheless, both me and Lord Diavolo honestly wish you can settle down well in the Devildom and maybe even make some friends.”</p><p>“Ok, listen here,” your voice goes low and dangerous. Barbatos drops his smile and watches you, seriously. “I am not here to <em> make friends </em> . I just want to survive and end this year as soon as possible so I can go back home. I am <em> not </em> happy and you can stop pretending to be nice to me.”</p><p> Not waiting for a reply, you resume your walk, going faster and leaving Barbatos behind. The demon catches up to you after a couple seconds.</p><p>“I can assure you <em> I </em> am not ‘pretending’, and neither is my Lord.” He keeps the serious expression, and it makes him more believable.</p><p>“Whatever.” You wave at him with your good arm. Your classroom is just ahead and there’s no demons in the corridor. ‘What<em> a rather unusual demon </em>’, you think, feeling like there are more layers to him than only this ‘servant’ persona. You hope he doesn’t know you feel that way—he’s just another powerful, dangerous demon you have to avoid upsetting.</p><p>“Have a good day at RAD,” Barbatos calls from some distance. Looks like you managed to shut him up. Or he simply dropped the subject since you’re already going to your classes.</p><p> ‘<em> God, I really hope today is a better day </em>.’</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Young and Menace</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Title is a reference to a music of Fall Out Boys!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
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  <b>Chapter 3 - Young and Menace</b>
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  <span> Funnily enough, all the demons that had previously bothered you start to completely ignore your presence. It’s probably an effect of Lucifer’s threats. There must have been massive gossip about it because some demons even walk out of your path during lunch break. There should be at least two demons escorting you right now, but it looks like someone will get punished today.</span>
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  <span> In the cafeteria, you see Solomon sitting alone at a table in a corner. You decide to join him. Solomon is a strange fellow; he doesn’t look scared of any demon and is always smiling for some reason. You would mistake him for a demon if Diavolo hadn't introduced him as a human. Truth be said, you really have no wish to make friends, but it’s starting to feel lonely, having no other human around to talk with about your issues. It’s just your terrible luck that the only other human in the whole Devildom is so incredibly different from you. Solomon is a sorcerer and doesn't need to fear the demons. He's very confident and has no noticeable flaws. Aside from his slightly suspicious behavior. He is also not bothered by any demon, unlike you. There isn’t much to talk about with him, but you suppose getting closer to </span>
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    <span>someone</span>
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  <span> isn’t a totally bad idea. And who’s better than the person least likely to attack you?</span>
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  <span> Solomon makes some small talk after you join him at the table. He asks about how you have been doing and if your arm is any better. Beel had prepared some sandwiches for you to have for lunch, since they would be easier to eat with just one hand. They are delicious. Once you’re done with your lunch, you decide to ask Solomon a few questions, to test the waters.</span>
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  <span>“Say Solomon, can you teach me magic?”</span>
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  <span> This takes him by surprise. Solomon hesitates for a second before answering.</span>
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  <span>“Sorry Tsuki, unfortunately I am still considered an apprentice, my Master wouldn’t allow me to train anyone else yet, so it’s beyond me.” You sigh sadly, although ‘no’ was an expected answer. “I guess I never talked much about myself, right? Would you like to know me a bit more?” You nod. This is why you’re here, after all. “I come from an old and elite family of witches and sorcerers. I was supposed to take one last test to get my Master Sorcerer title this year but, I received Lord Diavolo’s invite to the exchange program and I had to accept. My Master is an old friend of Lord Diavolo and she would be very offended if I declined. My Master is also my mother, by the way.”</span>
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  <span>“That’s cool. Must be cool, using magic and such,” you comment, emotionless.</span>
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  <span>“It has its advantages!” Solomon agrees. “Staying here is also a great opportunity for me to make more pacts with demons. Are you familiar with pacts, Tsuki?”</span>
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  <span>“More or less? I managed to make one with Mammon after helping him with a super stupid thing. I can command him like a dog.”</span>
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  <span> Solomon laughs.</span>
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  <span>“There is more to pacts than mindlessly commanding a demon; it’s also a source of great power.”</span>
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  <span>“Do you want even more power? Aren’t you already a powerful sorcerer?” You make a mental note of it. ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Shady Fucker wants power, everyone who searches for power is potentially evil.’</span>
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  <span>“Ah, well, I’m not that strong when compared to my parents. How can I say it?” he stops to think for a moment. “I don’t want to disappoint them, so I must show my strength when returning home.”</span>
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  <span>“For me, my parents can eat disappointment every morning,” you deadpan.</span>
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  <span>“Oh,” he startles. “I suppose we are very different after all.” He shows you a comforting smile. “If you ever need something, you can count on me! We humans should stick together. Even after you blatantly saying ‘I don’t need no help,’ I still feel like offering you some.”</span>
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  <span> Oh, right, you </span>
  <em>
    <span>did</span>
  </em>
  <span> say that. No regrets too. You pause for a few seconds, so Solomon can think you’re considering it. In truth, you don’t trust him either way, but if he </span>
  <em>
    <span>thinks</span>
  </em>
  <span> you trust him, you can get closer and try to figure out what his real deal is. There should be more to him than just what he’s saying.</span>
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  <span>“Yeah, sure.” Nodding, you see Solomon smile happily. “You know, we should have been sent to the same dorm.” This still annoys you so much.</span>
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  <span>“But you’re so lucky to stay in the House of Lamentation!” He seems scandalized by your indifference.</span>
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  <span>“You only say that because you never stayed a day here!” You bark, but calm down right after. You’re not angry at Solomon, but at the demons and this whole situation you are forced to endure. “Anyway, sure, let’s join forces against the demons, we need to survive this year and see the human world again.”</span>
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  <span>“Do you want advice, Tsuki?”</span>
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  <span>“If advice were good, you wouldn’t give it, you would sell it, Solomon,” you say seriously, but Solomon just laughs. “But sure, I have nothing to lose.”</span>
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  <span>“You should try to make more pacts too, with the demons of the House of Lamentation. They are some of the most powerful demons in the Devildom. Think of it as a good investment.”</span>
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  <span>“Eh, I don't know,” you say. However, you realize that Solomon, who is already a powerful being, is still hunting for more pacts. “I’ll think about it,” you add, quickly, making Solomon pleased.</span>
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  <span> The alarm rings, and lunch break is over.</span>
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  <span>“Looks like our talk will have to end here,” Solomon says, already getting his stuff. “We should have lunch together more often, what do you say?”</span>
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  <span>“I guess,” you shrug. “Lunch with you is a lot more peaceful than with the demons.”</span>
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  <span>“You’re welcome,” Solomon laughs. He offers to go along with you back to the classroom and you accept.</span>
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</p>
<p>
  <span> Having a broken arm is terrible. Not because of the pain, but because it brings so much frustration. Somehow, you forget you have a cast around your arm and rip off your RAD uniform while trying to put it on. Misfortune loves you. But not everything is lost. Your bad luck shows you a quick and simple way to make the brothers do whatever you want: drop Lucifer’s name in the middle of it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I thought I was supposed to be a </span>
  <em>
    <span>guest,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” you complain, annoyed, holding the ripped shirt in your hand and showing it to Mammon. “But ok, I guess I have no option but to go tell Lucifer you don’t want to help me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> This got Mammon’s attention immediately. He stands up and takes the shirt from your hand. The avatar of greed brings it to Asmo, who fixes it for you right away. Asmo tells you he knows how to make and fix clothes and he’s willing to help you again. You thank him politely.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> Since you were taken off the cleaning and cooking rotations, there is suddenly way more free time than you know how to use. Most of the time is spent in the library, either studying or reading. Sometimes, you take a break from studying to help whoever is on cooking duty, as you still have a free hand to help out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> Today however, you are finishing homework in the common room with Mammon. A marathon of The Seven Lords is waiting for you. You are still not too sure about the whole plan… winning over something Levi is passionate about. He’s the avatar of envy, after all. But you also have no other idea to distract Lucifer long enough to climb the stairs to the attic. Spite is a strong force of action. Lucifer doesn't want anyone going up there? Nice, you can’t wait to find out what kind of ugly secret he’s keeping there. Revenge for the cold manner in which he treats you and for the whole exchange thing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright Mammon, I only need to finish this math homework now.” You close the other notebooks and put them away. Mammon was playing on his D.D.D until you had caught his attention.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Cool, can’t wait to stay awake three whole days watching all of that stuff,” he says, disinterested.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m going to watch all of that stuff too,” you remind him, annoyed. Math is hard, you hate math. You stare at the words and numbers for a long time, until Mammon joins you to peek at what you’re doing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, this stuff’s easy,” he announces and takes the notebook from your hands. He quickly scribbles all over the place, making counts with impressive speed. In less than five minutes he returns the homework to you.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> You read his answers, closely.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wow, looks like you got everything right?” the shock escapes you. “I didn’t know you knew math. Thanks.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> Mammon laughs, happy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The Great Mammon needs to know numbers to make sure he’s doing the max profit for his investments.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> Of course, it would be thanks to his greed. Still, he did your homework for you and you are not complaining. Now there’s nothing stopping you from the TSL marathon. Yay…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What are you two doing?” Mammon yelps beside you and turns quickly at Lucifer’s words.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nothing! I mean, studying!” the greed demon answers.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>You</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Mammon. Studying?” his cold words pierce the air.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s true, Mammon was studying with me, but we just finished,” you confirm Mammon’s claim.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> Getting your books and notebooks, you pile them up and throw a few into Mammon’s lap, so he will help you carry them. You finally face Lucifer. The oldest brother is in the middle of the room with his arms crossed and a bored expression. His eyes widen slightly when he faces you.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What happened to your face?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah…” You pass a hand over the bandages on your cheeks. So embarrassing. “I tripped and fell when I tried to catch a frog earlier today.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> Lucifer stares at you as if it were the most stupid thing he’d heard all day.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s true, I saw it. They tripped on a rock and fell flat on their face. It wasn’t even a big rock!” Mammon cracked up laughing in the middle of his words and you hit him with a book.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t laugh at me!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why did you even try to catch a frog?” Lucifer sounds as incredulous as he looks.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It was cute.” The garden of the House of Lamentation is probably the most peaceful place in the entire house since all the brothers ignore it. It’s your go-to place for when some peace and silence is needed. They don’t respect your room and unless the door is locked, you have no space or privacy. Today, you saw this cute little green frog; it had a small horn and you just wanted to take a good look at it, maybe take a photo too. But the frog got scared and hopped away. When you tried to follow it, you tripped and fell. Your head fell straight into a bush, giving you some scratches on your face, now hidden by the bandages. You can’t decide what’s worse, the scratches or the bandages.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> Lucifer massages his forehead and sighs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Try to be more careful next time,” he says, as if you’re hopeless. He exits the common room soon after. Once he’s out of sight, you and Mammon leave for your room and stay up all night watching TSL.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>  Levi was way nicer when you got to know him. It only took a few side quests here and some almost dying here and </span>
  <em>
    <span>voila</span>
  </em>
  <span>. And you still got a new pact! Both Solomon and the weird, ‘we don’t talk about him’ younger brother Belphegor had told you to pursue pacts with all the brothers, and honestly? It looks like a nice way of not-dying. Maybe you’ll even help Belphegor out in the end; can’t say you’re not curious about what he did to Lucifer to earn being locked away. If he ever turns out to be worse than Lucifer, he can rot here until the year ends.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> After living here in the Devildom for a little over a month and already getting two pacts, you have the feeling that pursuing more pacts may be easy enough to set as a personal goal. Maybe you can survive this year after all.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> For a loner otaku, Levi is very organized. His room is possibly the best room in the entire house. Your room has a big tree and some nice vines but Levi’s room has an entire wall as an aquarium. His room is just so aesthetically pleasing. All his figurines, games and manga are very well organized on his shelves, the aquarium is always bright and clean, and the illumination of the room is so soft, such that every time you’re here you don’t want to leave. Which brings you a problem: every time you’re in Levi’s room you are either playing games or watching anime, and it was ruining your homework schedule ever since you got rid of that cast a few days ago.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> You are pretty sure he has social anxiety and an inferiority complex, but your relationship with Levi is still too new to talk about those things with him. His self-degrading comments bother you the most. You know what it’s like to feel that everyone is better than you at everything and that you're a failure. You want to help Levi get over it but you just don’t know how yet. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You won’t beat me at my own game,” Levi warns, completely focused on the game screen.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Haha, I think you need to learn how to lose, Levi,” you say, playfully. You are almost beating him in the fighting game. Now free from the cast, you can play games a lot easier.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> There is a lot of profanity said until the match’s end. Levi won, barely, which was probably a good thing since he’s a bad loser and would just keep challenging you to more and more matches till he won. It’s getting late and you should at least try to study, as the tests start next week. You look at Levi. He’s still enjoying his victory, and doesn't look tired at all. He’ll probably just keep gaming after you leave. Levi also looks like the type that doesn't care about his grades in the slightest.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Say Levi, instead of another anime marathon, why don't we study tomorrow?” you ask carefully, putting your controller down on the ground.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ew, do we need to?” he looks like he’d rather die than study. “Aren’t the exams still a mile away?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Levi, they start Monday. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Next</span>
  </em>
  <span> Monday,” you clarify.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> His eyes widen with surprise.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But I want to watch the Christmas specials of Ruri-chan,” he whines.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> You fight a sigh.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We can make a schedule so we can still play games, watch anime and study!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> Levi makes a pained expression, as if you had suggested he jump off a cliff. Or to sell some of his figures—that would hurt him more.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why are you so worried about the tests anyway?” Levi tries to brush it off.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Levi, I am an exchange student,” you explain slowly. “I’m afraid of what Lucifer would do if I don’t get good grades.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, you’re right, he may punish you. He could block the games on your D.D.D or limit your data! He did it to me once.” He looks terrified of said punishments but they sound more like Levi-like punishments; you don’t want to know what would be a Tsuki-like punishment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> Before you can speak again, the door opens violently. Levi lets out a yell and you turn around, half expecting either Mammon or Lucifer, but to your surprise, it’s Asmo. He is wearing different clothes today: tight leather pants and a crop top. His hair is styled differently too, pushed back with a big golden hairpin. He looks devoid of any makeup, a rare vision.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tsuki, you’re here!” he exclaims as soon as he sees you and opens a big smile, while Levi screams furiously about not having said the password. “I have been looking for you. Come with me, I need your help.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> Apparently ‘no’ isn’t an option. Asmo invades his brother's room amidst his brother's protests and pulls you by force. You only have time to grab your D.D.D and wave Levi goodbye.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> Asmo drags you to his room. Asmo’s room is very similar to yours. Instead of a soft purple, his room has a soft pink theme. It’s filled with elegant white furniture with rose decorations and a massive dressing table with many mirrors and lamps. You feel like the lamps could make someone blind. He brings two chairs to the dressing table and signs for you to sit on one.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tsuki, I bought a new makeup set and I want you to help me.” He sounds so excited.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And what makes you think I know anything about makeup?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How rude! Didn’t I teach you a lot about makeup the other day? When I put that really pretty makeup on you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> You roll your eyes. Asmo is so insistent you ended up letting him use you as a doll. It’s true he didn’t stop speaking about cosmetics and all that, but you’re sure you can’t recall half of what he said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Besides, none of my brothers know a thing about makeup,” he complains. “It took me a thousand years to teach them about fashion and make them develop </span>
  <em>
    <span>some</span>
  </em>
  <span> style, but I was never able to convince any of them about the wonders of makeup.” He frowns. He kind of looks cute with a pout.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> You sigh, pull the chair and sit next to Asmo.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How can I help?” you say, mentally cursing your empathy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> Asmo smiles brightly, and explains he wants your opinion on the new makeup he’s trying. Asmo works fast, getting serious and using the starting makeups with so much precision and lightness. You have to admit he did a great job on you the other day, and his fashion sense is also on point. He could easily be a famous makeup artist or fashion designer in the human world. Asmo asks you what is the best eyeshadow color, and you pick the golden one simply because his clothes have gold details. He seems pleased and continues to paint himself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, you’re going somewhere tonight?” you ask after a short pause.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I am looking divine, aren’t I?” ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>This wasn’t what I asked,</span>
  </em>
  <span>’ you think, close to saying it out loud. “But yes, I may be tame in the daylight but at night my real lustfulness comes strong, my dear. Today there’s a big event in The Fall and I’m not only dressing to impress.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> Ew, does he mean what you think he means? Wait, is his normal behavior considered </span>
  <em>
    <span>tame</span>
  </em>
  <span>?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, you’re gonna… Like…” You can’t seem to find a good enough word that isn't explicit. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Going to rub my body into other demons’ bodies? Totally! Today will be a long and exciting night,” Asmo laughs, looking pleased with himself. He said ‘demons,’ in plural. “I had problems with bringing demons home in the past so now Lucifer doesn't allow it anymore. He lets me leave at night as long I come home before dawn and don’t cause problems for anyone. Or let my grades drop below average; he’s strict.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>He sure is.</span>
  </em>
  <span>’ For the first time you have to thank Lucifer for something.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ok.” You appreciate the new information about Asmo’s life but don’t want to dwell any longer on this topic. “Have fun.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> Asmo lets out a small laugh.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is Tsuki embarrassed? It’s ok if you are, you can tell me if anything I say makes you uncomfortable and I’ll stop and behave myself,” Asmo says. He looks sincere.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Really?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sure, I may be lustful and enjoy sex and pleasure a bit </span>
  <em>
    <span>too</span>
  </em>
  <span> much, but I know not everyone’s like me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> You blink at Asmo, not expecting such depth from him. Maybe you judged him a bit too harshly. He probably knows you’re ace since his charm didn’t work on you.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ok, that’s nice. But you know I say what I want all the time,” you remind him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Pff, yes, I noticed.” His good mood is getting into you. “Should I use the extra volume mascara?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sure, do it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> Asmo seems to like your response. It takes him some more minutes to finalize, and when he’s done, you need to admit that he looks gorgeous. He thanks you for your help, even though you don’t feel like you helped much… Helping him pick some colors and handing him stuff was a pretty basic way of helping, but Asmo looked very happy so you don’t overthink it. Asmo puts on a white fur coat, grabs his wallet and you both leave the room. You don’t know </span>
  <em>
    <span>when </span>
  </em>
  <span>he returns home but you know it is in the dead of the night. </span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span> The library has quickly become your second room. The first week of exams have come and you felt like every test is like getting hit by a different sack of bricks. You increase your study time to make sure you can pass the tests; as long you can get above average it should be fine. RAD’s library is crowded, but thankfully, the House of Lamentation also has an extensive collection in their own library. As soon as you’re back from RAD you hide yourself in the second’s floor library.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> None of the brothers seem to be bothered by the tests. The only one who takes RAD a little more seriously (excluding Lucifer) is Satan. The avatar of wrath notices you in the library and decides to keep you company, reading in silence at the same table.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Anything you want help with?” Satan asks after a couple hours.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, no really. It’s just a lot to remember,” you say, face still focused on the book before you.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ok, I just offered because I’m leaving soon. It’s getting late, Tsuki.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>  You take a look at your D.D.D.: it’s already ten. Cursing mentally, you change the page.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you for offering, I appreciate it, but I’m fine. If I get bad grades, I hope you’ll still offer me help.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> Satan laughs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course! I’m a demon but I’m not that evil!” he assures you.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> You show Satan a smile, happy that at least one of the demon brothers is nice and smart enough to offer you help. While resuming your study, you hope this doesn't backfire horridly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> Some time passes and you’re getting hungry, but there are still some things that you don’t feel confident about yet. You ask Satan to take a break and he follows you to the kitchen. Luckily, you find some snacks left in the fridge that Beel hasn’t eaten.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Say Satan, don’t you hate humans?” you ask, emptying a bowl of ice cream.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t have anything against humans.” Satan is having some tea with leftover cookies from earlier, previously hidden away to be safe from Beel. “Why do you ask?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well…almost all of the demons of RAD hate me with a passion and your brothers weren’t very welcoming of me.” Satan makes a low ‘oh’ sound. “And I’m pretty sure Lucifer hates me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry for the other demons,” Satan says seriously. “It was kind of to be expected… Anyway, make sure to tell us next time someone bothers you! We’ll help, I swear.” He offers you an apologetic smile. “And I’m sure Lucifer doesn’t hate you too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> You raise a brow.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Really?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Lucifer’s just a jerk in general,” he shrugs. “Doesn’t know how to deal with people that aren’t named ‘Lord Diavolo.’ I mean, have you seen how he is with Mammon?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> That’s a good point, actually.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Eh, whatever. I just wish he was less strict.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> Satan sighs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We all do. By the way, have I told you I absolutely love how you tick him off? It’s not everyone who can make Lucifer lose his composure,” he laughs to himself. “Isn’t it boring? How he tries to be the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Mister Perfect</span>
  </em>
  <span> all the time?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> Sometimes it is easy to forget every one of those demons has a big sin. You wonder if Lucifer’s strictness is somehow related to his sin of pride, and wanting to make sure everything is as perfect as it can be.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah but, you kind of give me the same ‘Mister Perfect’ vibe too, Satan,” you point out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> Satan gasps and brings a hand to his chest in an over dramatic way, looking disgusted and offended.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How dare you?!” he says exasperatedly. There’s a hint of wrath in his eyes. “I am </span>
  <em>
    <span>very</span>
  </em>
  <span> different from Lucifer! I only… I mean!” He’s so irritated he starts stumbling on his words, hands moving up and down in a frantic manner that’s unlike him. Looks like you broke Satan and now you’re starting to regret your comment. “A-anyway. I only try to surpass Lucifer’s grades so I can show him he isn’t better than everyone else! I like </span>
  <em>
    <span>bothering</span>
  </em>
  <span> him, and we are very different from each other!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ok, I get it. Sorry if I upset you, it wasn’t my intention,” you say calmly, hands up in a peace sign. Satan sighs, deflating, as he realizes he was throwing a fuss.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright, it’s fine. I’m sorry if I overreacted a little,” he assures you, a smile appearing again on his face. ‘A little,’ he says.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> The room falls into silence. You wonder what is the deal between Satan and Lucifer, but now doesn’t look like the place nor the time to ask about it. Making a mental note, you decide to ask one of his brothers about it later.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> You return to your room after eating with Satan, but instead of studying you end up sleeping right after lying on the bed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> Next day, you fall asleep in the library. You expect a sore neck, back pains and drool all over the book, but you wake up lying on the library’s couch. There's a pillow under your head and a blanket keeping you warm. You thank Satan when you see him at breakfast, but he tells you he didn't do it. If it wasn't Satan, then, who was it?</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Stay Frost Royal Milk Tea</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I have like, no patience.<br/>Chapter title is another song by Fall Out Boys.</p><p>Warning: descriptions of an anxiety attack in this chapter.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Chapter 4 – Stay Frost Royal Milk Tea </b>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>You are aware it’s past midnight. Unfortunately, you are still not confident of your chances on tomorrow’s tests. There is a weight on your eyes, and you won’t be able to stay focused for much longer. Hopefully you studied enough to get an average grading.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Someone enters the library, and you raise your gaze from the book, half expecting Satan—however, it’s Lucifer. He walks to a nearby shelf and picks a book. He stares at it for a moment and you wonder if he saw you’re here.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Here, again?” he asks, all of a sudden, answering your question.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <em>
    <span>‘Again</span>
  </em>
  <span>?’ Hmm, you can’t remember meeting Lucifer in the library lately. Wait. Is he the only one that bought a pillow and blanket the other day? You didn’t know Lucifer was capable of such kindness.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m studying, I want to do well on my tests,” you reply, not bothering to look at him anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s good, but it’s past midnight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> There’s silence for a minute. Lucifer closes the book he was reading and moves to another shelf, staring at it for a moment before picking another book. Looks like he’s searching for something specific.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s something I was meaning to ask you,” he speaks again, still distracted looking at the book. “Don’t you feel tempted by the sins here in the Devildom?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Dropping your book, you think about it. It takes you a few seconds to remember something Lucifer said back at your first day in the Devildom. Something about making your soul shiny or whatever so you’re not tempted by the demons? It never made much sense to you, but nothing has tempted you here so far.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, not really,” you answer sincerely. “But if I had to pick something, I would say the sin of wrath, since I have no patience for your brothers’ bullshit. No wonder you’re so tired all the time. They are so hyperactive and dumb.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Interesting,” he closes the book with force, but keeps his hold on it when he turns to gaze at you. “I also have no patience to take care of another troublemaker.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Does he mean you by ‘another’? Sure his brothers are all troublemakers, you’re forced to agree. </span>
</p><p>
  <span> You hold your gaze back at him as well. He’s frowning. Lucifer may have strong, crimson like, fierce eyes, but they can be so </span>
  <em>
    <span>cold </span>
  </em>
  <span>at times, as if he’s devoid of any emotions. Minus maybe anger. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thought I was a guest,” you say, nonchalantly. Now you kind of want to know what he really does think of you. He probably knows by now that you do not think nice things about him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You are no </span>
  <em>
    <span>guest</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” he adds emphasis on the word ‘guest.’ “You are an exchange student and you should act as such.” ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Looks like someone is a lot less nice than Lord Diavolo!</span>
  </em>
  <span>’ Is there even a limit to his strictness? Looks like there </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> a limit to his patience, however. Better try not to bother him too much. “And you’re in my house, so you better behave and listen to my orders. Must have been disappointing, when you climbed up the stairs only to find nothing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>What?</span>
  </em>
  <span>’</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You start sweating. How does he even know you climbed the stairs?! And what he said doesn’t make any sense, since you talked to Belphegor. Was that an illusion or is he unaware you can talk to his younger brother? Well, better not take it for granted. You hope he’ll think your shocked expression is thanks to the fact he knew about the stairs. You straighten your posture and assume a neutral expression.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I should have expected whatever’s up there to be sealed away from outsiders,” you say, praying your voice doesn't betray you.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe,” he crosses his arms, slightly irritated. “At least you’re smart enough to not keep dwelling there. Now, you better not try to disobey me again, or else you’ll find out my punishments are a lot less pleasant than what you must imagine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Lucifer lets his threat hang in the air and takes his leave. From what you gather from his brothers, his punishments are pretty brutal, you don’t know how they can be even worse than what you imagine. Now you are not in the mood to study anymore. Sulking, you walk back to your room. Why is this demon a pain to handle?</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span> Lucifer has been in a particularly bad mood since last week. But so are you—the exam week was hellish.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>  In the fatidic morning, the Monday after the exams were done, Lucifer came to the dining room earlier than usual and you suspected he hadn't, in fact, slept last night. Unfortunately, you are also sleep deprived after pulling so many all-nighters to study for the hellish exams. The thought of skipping classes today crossed your mind, but, since you’re an exchange student it wouldn’t look good in your history. If you ever manage to skip classes at all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> The avatar of pride starts delegating everyone their chores for the week, and is </span>
  <em>
    <span>already</span>
  </em>
  <span> lecturing everyone about the grades that wouldn’t come out for a while. Did he just want to talk about a lot of shit as the first thing to do in the morning?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tsuki, you too, make sure to keep studying hard, if you have low grades it will look bad on the exchange program, we cannot disappoint Lord Diavolo. Also, you should check your new chore schedule…” he kept going at it for a while.    </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don't boss me around,” you mutter under your breath, bored and slightly irritated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Lucifer goes silent for a second.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What did you just say?” he asks, voice getting dangerously low.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I </span>
  <em>
    <span>said,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” you speak louder, “If you feel the need to tell this troop of idiots to go wash their asses, that's between you and them, but don't tell me what to do because I am different.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Lucifer stares at you, frozen in place with his eyes big, as if you had said something completely incomprehensible to him. The atmosphere in the room changed radically: all the brothers went dead silent, and you couldn't even hear Beel munching anymore. You realize that it is quite a feat, to make Beel stop eating. Your eyes meet Mammon’s for a second and he looks </span>
  <em>
    <span>terrified.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span> Suddenly, an angry Lucifer teleports himself in front of you, already in his demon form. Your shock is so big you stand up in reflex. As you do, he grabs your wrist, probably thinking you are going to run away. You try to escape his grip but the demon is just too strong.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>You insolent little shit,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> he spits in your face. That’s a new insult. Well, the insolent part is. “Do you think I'm happy babysitting a human? Do you think you're the only one who wants to leave and go back to your old life? WELL, THAT MAKES TWO OF US!” You wince at the strong sound of his voice. You’d never realized he could scream that loudly, and you’d heard him scream at Mammon several times. “But we won't get what we want so soon, isn't that right? So, you better be a good little human and do as you're told so this year can pass by as soon as possible without giving Lord Diavolo any more problems. Remember I am only allowing you to stay here for your own safety </span>
  <em>
    <span>because</span>
  </em>
  <span> of Lord Diavolo, you get it?!” The grip on your wrist gets tighter and you can no longer hold a straight face, twisting into a pained expression. “Are we in agreement? Otherwise I can simply start ignoring you too and pretend I don't hear your painful screams as some demon eats you whole,” he warns.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You want to say your wrist hurts but you can't. All the anger and confidence you had had evaporated at the sight of demon Lucifer mad all over your personal space. You see yourself back on that day, a few weeks ago, at the entrance of the RAD library when he saved you and almost destroyed the two demons that had attacked you. Your mouth is open but no sound leaves, and you just notice you're trembling. There are no more coherent thoughts in your brain, no sassy or witty comments on your tongue, only fear and a sharp pain coming from your right wrist.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lucifer, you're hurting them,” Beel says amidst the silence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Lucifer seems to hear his brother, since he lets go of you, turns and leaves. You stumble back to the chair. Instinctively, you hold and massage your bruised wrist, praying that it isn't broken; the last thing you need is to be unable to take notes in class.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oi, are you ok?” Mammon calls to you, worry written all over his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you need ice?” Satan suggests, looking worried as well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You sigh. You can only feel sweat all over your body, the violent and painful beating of your heart and the pain in your wrist.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine.” But your voice cracks. “I’ll accept some ice.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Satan rushes to the kitchen. Beel comes by and offers you some food but you refuse, making him frown.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lucifer was too harsh on you just now!” Asmo cries out, walking in circles. “We are on your side in this, ok?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s been a while since I saw him so angry,” Levi murmurs. He gets closer, beside Mammon, and takes a good look at you. “You sure have guts but life isn’t a game, you know. You shouldn’t be defying the Final Boss like that. I don’t want him to go and kill you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“N-no one will kill Tsuki!” Mammon yells.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But no one tried to stop him,” you say, words bitter. Asmo and Mammon gasp at you while Satan comes back with an ice bag.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>  When putting the ice bag on top of your sore wrist, you are pretty sure it’s not broken. You don’t want to stay here and hear the brothers’ pity. Getting a single ice cube from the bag, you stand up, leaving the demons behind without saying a word and starting to make your way to the academy. Obviously, they aren’t happy and follow you around. You’re halfway to the Student Council when Mammon’s calls start getting louder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tsuki! Wait!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“WHAT?!” Your patience runs out. Mammon and Levi stop suddenly at your shouting.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t look well…” Mammon starts, voice lowering.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>fine,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” you say through gritted teeth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You are not fine, Tsuki,” Levi shakes his head. “We are worried about you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, why are you going to the Student Council?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because I have a meeting with Diavolo,” you say, then turn again and resume your walk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What even are you going to talk about with Diavolo?!” Mammon calls out to you.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You groan, but don’t respond to Mammon. The avatar of greed runs ahead and stops in front of you, not letting you proceed. You tell him to move but he remains still.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You need to calm down,” Mammon insists. “What even are you thinking of saying to Lord Diavolo?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tsuki~,” Levi calls, worried. “Listen to Mammon this one time. You don’t want to regret saying something to Diavolo. What if he gets it all wrong?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Sighing, you try to calm down. Staying mad takes a lot of energy. And the worried expressions on Mammon and Levi are starting to affect you. Mammon steps closer and puts a hand on your shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tsuki, we know Lucifer. He can be a pain and bossy, but deep down he only wants to keep everyone safe. Lucifer must be having a hard time working around you because it’s been a long time since any of us confronted him so openly like you do. He’s not used to facing any type of opposition to his orders.” For the first time since you got here, you can see Mammon’s serious side. “Sorry about that, next time we’ll be sure to back you up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Even though Lucifer’s really scary,” Levi adds. “But count on us, Tsuki! We are friends now. And, please, think carefully about what you’re going to say to Lord Diavolo, he’s Lucifer's closest friend too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>  Looking at the ground, you take a deep breath. Levi and Mammon are really worried. Knowing they really care about you is comforting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ok, sorry,” you say, a bit calmer. “But I still have to meet Diavolo.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Mammon and Levi look at each other. They consider it for a second. Sighing, Mammon lets you pass. But he asks you to send him a message when you’re done. Both demons still follow you, until you enter Diavolo’s office. You half expected to see Lucifer in the way, but lucky, he is nowhere to be seen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Diavolo is in a good mood as always, and he gesticulates for you to sit on the chair and asks about your day. His smile falters a bit when he notices you’re a bit gloom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Something happened?”    </span>
</p><p>
  <span> So many things happened since the last time you went here, you don’t even know where to start. Unfortunately, your mind is still lingering on what just happened in the House of Lamentation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lucifer threatened me.” The words flew off your mouth before you could ratiocinate better. Diavolo’s eyes widen. “Please don’t tell Lucifer!” you beg, right after.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean?” he asks, confused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Great. You didn’t think at all before opening your month and now there’s no way back. Mammon and Levi will be disappointed in you. You look away from Diavolo and start fidgeting with the bottom of your coat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I just can’t deal with him, Diavolo! He was pissed this morning, I was pissed this morning, I guess it’s partly my fault I told him to fuck off and let me be.” And now your language is unfiltered too. Would Diavolo even mind? He’s a demon too. “And what did he do? He almost crushed my hand and told me he only tolerates me because of your orders!” Diavolo opens his mouth to talk and raises a hand, but you don’t give him a second to speak. “He’s so </span>
  <em>
    <span>angry</span>
  </em>
  <span> all the time, I can’t say a single thing to him that he doesn’t take badly! Who does he think he is anyway?! I’m at my limit. I don’t know how to handle him. How do </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> handle that </span>
  <b>demon</b>
  <span>, Diavolo?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tsu-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Which pisses me off because I started getting closer to his brothers and they aren’t so bad,” you speak over Diavolo. Your anxiety is hyperactive again, you won’t stop talking. “Then Lucifer keeps on treating me like a stone in his shoe and it infuriates me. The brothers are always at each other’s throats but no one questions Lucifer. No! He gets to be different! And I’m not letting anyone treat me like </span>
  <em>
    <span>shit</span>
  </em>
  <span> again!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Finally, you take a moment to breathe. You’re panting and your heart is beating rapidly. You feel your eyes getting hotter and watery. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry…” you manage to say, looking at your thighs. You don’t know what expression the prince of Devildom is making. You don’t want to know. “It’s been rough. I hate confrontation, I really do, but I can’t keep my mouth shut.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> When the first tear falls down it’s over, once you start crying, you just can’t stop. You cover your face with both hands, crying loudly. ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>How ugly,</span>
  </em>
  <span>’ you think. The embarrassment, the </span>
  <em>
    <span>vulnerability</span>
  </em>
  <span>, you feel when crying in front of someone is terrible. For a long time, you were just a shy, loner kid. But you don’t wish for others’ pity, so you always put on a strong front, to show that you don’t care if you have no friends, if you’re lonely or anxious, because the fear of your feelings being made fun of again outweighs everything else. So, you decided to push others away, to be rude, never to let anyone get too close, so there’s no way someone can eventually hurt you. Deep down, you know it’s pretty sad, pathetic even, but it’s just the way you turned out to be.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You hear Diavolo move to the door and ask Barbatos something. When he comes back, he stops at your side instead, and puts a hand on your shoulder. After a while of letting you cry in silence, Diavolo hands you a handkerchief. Taking the cloth, you dry your face and wipe your nose. Barbatos enters the office and offers you a glass full of water and ice. You take it to drink.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you feeling a little better now?” Diavolo asks, tone careful. He shoos Barbatos away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You keep on drying up the tears with the red handkerchief.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know…” Your head hurts and your face feels swollen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m so sorry you’re feeling like this.” He looks so unsure. “I don’t even know where to start. I should talk to Lucifer.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“NO!” You scream as the suggestion fills you with fear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But </span>
  <em>
    <span>someone</span>
  </em>
  <span> needs to, right?” Diavolo gets serious. “It can’t continue like this. And he </span>
  <em>
    <span>will</span>
  </em>
  <span> listen to me.” That’s true. Diavolo sighs. “What about you wanting to leave the House of Lamentation?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>That’s a great question, Lord Diavolo.</span>
  </em>
  <span>’ You turn back to the buttons on your coat, fidgeting mindlessly on them for a while, considering what to answer. It’s true you like your room and the brothers don’t annoy you as much now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“For now, I don’t mind staying here. But…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But you keep getting in trouble with Lucifer?” Diavolo guesses and you nod. “I see. Leave this issue to me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Er… What’ll you be telling him?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like I said, don’t worry about it,” he dismisses your worries and offers you a smile. “I know how to handle Lucifer, I’m sure I can make him see he isn’t being very fair to you. Is there anything else you want to say?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I feel like I talked too much already,” you whine.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Diavolo pats your back. He lets you stay a bit longer in his office, so you can calm down enough to go to your classes. You thank him profusely, for everything. Mammon and Levi aren’t waiting for you outside the office and you can’t decide if it’s for the best or not. You drag your feet to your classroom.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span> You knock on Satan’s door. If Satan can control his anger, so can you. All the anger from the beginning of the day transformed into anxiety that transformed into stress.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes? Oh, Tsuki, do you need anything?” As always, he is so nice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Satan, what is your sin again?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> He is visibly confused for a moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wrath, I am the Avatar of Wrath.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then, how can you control your anger issues? Tell me your secrets,” you beg. “Satan, if I fight with Lucifer one more time I’ll actually explode. He hates me and he makes no effort to hide it. I’m at my limit, if things keep going downhill with him, I’ll go straight to Diavolo and cry until he moves me to another dorm.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” Satan becomes alarmed. “That’s no good, Tsuki! I don’t want to see you moving dorms! And specially not because of </span>
  <em>
    <span>Lucifer,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” he looks into his room for a second before inviting you in. “And he doesn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>hate</span>
  </em>
  <span> you, I’m sure he just doesn’t know how to handle someone who constantly challenges him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Isn’t it the same?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No!” Satan insists.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>  As expected, his room is a giant mess. It looks like a witch tower. Or, at least you think it is how a witch’s tower looks like. The whole space is filled with shelves stuffed with books, all types of books. As someone who values knowledge above everything his room couldn’t be any different. Though, you did think it would be more organized. There are piles of books on top of a chair and several more, some still open, over his reading table. For some reason, Satan likes his room as dark as possible and illuminated by candles. Arriving in Satan's room for the first time, you thought it was just another library. It took you a moment to find common bedroom furniture, like his bed and a wardrobe.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span> Satan comes back with three big and colorful books after a while.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This one is a book of art crafts; this one is about writing and this is about music and playing instruments. I find all of them very relaxing activities to do, you can try them out. But if you can’t find anything you like I can teach you my meditation and yoga methods.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> So, he does meditate.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks.” The books are heavy on your arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> “I’m sure you can find a new hobby to de-stress! What did you do back in the human world?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I went to the gym to take fighting training. I worked out and did some other activities here too, like swimming and running, once in a while,” you explain. “I go with Beel to the gym once or twice a week but it’s not the same, and he has a tendency to forget about time and I can’t be there a whole day and not study.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Understandable.” Satan looks at you like he wants to talk more or maybe help you figure something out but you are already leaving his room when he speaks again. “Let me know about your progress!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You do try to read the books Satan gave you but nothing is clicking. There are several cool and cute crafts you can do; Satan had hurried back to your room with a bag full of patches of cloths, needles, crochet thread, paint, pencils, etc., but nothing is working. The perfectionist in you can’t stand seeing such poor attempts at the fine arts even though the rational side of your brain tells you only practice makes perfect. For the music book, you would have to go to the music room. Unfortunately, it is a place Lucifer is rather fond of and you would rather not go there for now. The only thing left is the writing book. You even manage to word vomit a lot of phases in an angry streak, but when reading it back, it makes little sense. Sighing, you leave your room. You can’t even go out for a walk alone. Feeling suffocated in such a big house, you march to the most familiar place of the house, the kitchen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Back in the college dorm, you became the cook; not a single guy or girl in that low budget building could cook properly and you were suddenly glad your mom and close relatives all loved cooking and made an effort to teach you how. Still, many things you had to learn the hard way or with the help of the internet. By the end of your five years in the college dorm you had learned how to cook many meals and had acquired quite the fame back then.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Opening the fridge, you see Beel hadn’t eaten everything again, which is a relief. However, the food in the Devildom is very different from food in the human world, so it’s like learning to cook all over again. Sighing, you get your D.D.D.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>Tsukishima</b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What do you want to eat?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Send me a recipe.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>Beelzebub</b>
</p><p>
  <span>:shocker sticker:</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Are you hungry too?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>Tsukishima</b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Not really. I just feel like cooking.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>Beelzebub</b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Would you make poison apple tartlets with cursed cherries?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>Tsukishima</b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Sure, just send me the recipe.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>Beelzebub</b>
</p><p>
  <span>:happy sticker:</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Just wait a minute</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Tartletpoisonapple.txt</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Do you want help?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>Tsukishima</b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>No, not really.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I have a lot in my mind, I need to distract myself.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>Beelzebub</b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Do you want to talk about it?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Is it about what happened earlier with Lucifer?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>When it isn’t about Lucifer?</span>
  </em>
  <span>’ you think to yourself, before replying.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>Tsukishima</b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I don’t want to talk about it now.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I just need to DO something. Something nice. Like tartlets.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>Beelzebub</b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>But if you ever need to talk to someone about your troubles you can come to me. I’ll listen.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>Tsukishima</b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Thanks, Beel, you’re a sweetheart.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>:thanks sticker:</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span> Wasting no time, you set the D.D.D on the counter and start sorting the materials for the dessert. You occupy yourself, alone, in the kitchen for over an hour, barely stopping to rest. Once the tartlets are done, you feel a lot calmer (and tired). You send a message to Beel, telling him to come to taste the dessert. There are a bunch of small tartlets with poison apple cream filling and cursed cherries on top, and they look lovely. Believing you deserve it, you get one to taste. It is more delicious than what you had expected; for the first time cooking the dessert it tasted pretty much perfect. You can’t help but smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Beel comes to the kitchen cheerfully, eyes the tartlets and starts drooling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are they all for me?” he asks excitedly. You stop him before he can devour all of them at once.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m saving some for your brothers and you can eat the rest.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sounds great,” Beel observes while you put a couple of tartlets in a tray, one for each brother and an extra one for you, because they are </span>
  <em>
    <span>good</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> As soon as you’re done, you tell Beel he can eat whatever he wants. Beel then, puts two at once in his mouth. You look at him eating one after the other with awe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They are delicious.” Beel smiles and eats another. “Tsuki is full of talents.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks.” You are already feeling a lot better. Receiving compliments on your food always feels nice. “After you’re done let’s give the rest to your brothers, they’ll like it, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course!” Beel replies with his mouth full.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. High Hopes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>High Hopes by Panic! At the Disco</p><p>I wanted to add a screenshot of the MC saying "I'd do anything for you, Satan!" from one of Satan's chats but sadly I didn't figure out how to add the image;;; (ops, my bias is showing)<br/>Oh well. </p><p>Today I bring a very light chapter. I hope everyone likes my other OC, he's super fun to write.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Chapter 5 - High Hopes</strong>
</p><p> </p><p> The next morning is tense. There is some small talk until Lucifer appears for breakfast, then everyone goes silent and you grab Mammon to go to RAD early. You can’t handle tense atmospheres and even less so when you feel it’s because of you.</p><p> You have a massive headache for the next couple of hours, so as soon as the teacher finishes the lecture and it’s a free period you leave to go to the infirmary. The nurse, Paimon, is very sympathetic. Since she’d worked with humans before she doesn’t see you as lesser than a demon or try to eat your soul. Paimon gives you a fraction of a demon's analgesic and lets you lie in the infirmary bed for a few minutes. She makes some small talk, the usual questions such as “Are you adjusting ok? Is anyone bothering you? If the subjects are too hard you should talk to Lord Diavolo.” She is lovely and you are glad there is someone like her in RAD. You rest in the infirmary bed for about twenty minutes, and when you feel like your headache is starting to get better, you tell your goodbyes to the nurse before heading back to class.</p><p> On the way to the classroom, something catches your attention in an empty room. You peak inside. Mephistopheles is sitting here, alone, with what looks to be a ragdoll of Solomon. Mephistopheles is an odd demon—he used to be the president of RAD Newspaper club, but apparently, he is kind of a trickster and was kicked out after a few issues in the beginning of the year. He is short (for a demon), skinny, clumsy and shy. He has short bright blue hair that looks like it is never combed, and heterochromia: his left eye is brown and the right one blue. You heard he had joined the student council recently, which should be true, since you saw him carrying some papers and supplies the last time you passed by the student council.</p><p>“Is this a Solomon doll?” you call out behind him.</p><p> Mephistopheles gasps and turns around, jumping, but never dropping the doll. Now you can see the doll better. It really is Solomon, a crochet version of the sorcerer. It’s very cute and looks almost done, only missing a few details on his RAD uniform.</p><p>“Uh, yes, it is, did you come here to make fun of me?” he accuses you. “Wait, aren’t you the human student? The human…uh…”</p><p>“Tsuki.”</p><p>“Tsukishima! I knew it.” He didn’t. “Lucifer’s protégé.”</p><p> ‘<em> Lucifer’s what now?!’ </em> The info leaves you so shocked, you grab a chair nearby and sit on it. Otherwise you think you might just fall to the ground.</p><p>“I’m <em> what </em>? Lucifer’s protégé?” you exclaim, scandalized.</p><p>“Well, duh. Everyone knows not to mess with the human ‘Tsuki,’ otherwise Lucifer will end their lives. And I want no problem with Lucifer, dude’s super scary! And powerful! Now, if you’re here to make fun of me for my hobby you can do it and go. It wouldn’t look good for me if I am seen with The Tsuki.”</p><p> ‘<em> What the Hell is he on </em>?’</p><p> You’ve never gotten so furious at something you are so glad exists. Deep down, you always knew Lucifer had made sure no other demon will ever lay a finger on you ever again. Still, hearing you have this reputation does not make you happy. Your headache starts getting worse again.</p><p>“I am <em> not </em> here to make fun of you,” you say firmly, but Mephistopheles doesn’t believe you and furrows his brows. “I think the doll looks very cute! It’s supposed to be Solomon, right? Have you made them for a long time? Can you make one for me?”</p><p> Slowly, Mephistopheles seems to believe your words.</p><p>“Yes, Simeon found me doing my crochet the other day and asked me to make him, Solomon and the doggy angel as ragdolls so he could give it to them as a present and take his as a souvenir to the Celestial Realm,” he explains, still looking somewhat suspicious. “It’s been a hobby of mine for a long time but most demons make fun of me for wasting my time on something so…” he trailed off, clearly upset.</p><p>“Delicate?” you offer.</p><p>“Yeah, ‘delicate’ works, I guess. So, you want one? You’ll have to pay.”</p><p> You expect that much.</p><p>“I’m paying. Can you make Lord Diavolo for me?”</p><p> His eyes widen.</p><p>“Lord Diavolo?! Is it for a prank? If it’s for a prank then it’s a no-no!” he quickly exclaims.</p><p>“Of course, it’s not for a prank!” you raise your voice and whine. Your head hurts and almost gets nauseous. You take a deep breath before continuing. “I am an exchange student, I wouldn’t make a prank on <em> Lord Diavolo </em>, of all people.”</p><p> Mephistopheles stops to consider. You massage your forehead, trying to ease the pain. Everything you want is to make up with Lucifer, why is this demon being so hard to deal with?</p><p>“Hum… Makes sense,” Mephistopheles agrees, at least. “So, it must be for <em> him, </em>” he wiggles his brows, suggestively.</p><p>“I have no idea of what you mean,” you quickly cut him off, the headache strong. “How much for a doll of Diavolo?” Maybe if you press him directly to the point you can finish faster.</p><p>“Hehe, if you don’t want to admit it’s for Lord Diavolo Number One Fan, that’s ok.” You really don’t like his tone. “It would be five thousand grimm and one week until it’s done.”</p><p>“Five thousand grimm?!” You had honestly expected less for a 25 centimeters crochet doll.</p><p>“Take it or leave it” and he crosses his arms, impassive.</p><p>“Urg, fine. But I’ll only pay after I see the doll done,” you reluctantly agree. Now you only need to convince one of the brothers to give you some extra money.</p><p> The demon smiles, satisfied.</p><p>“I’ll make sure to work on a nice crochet version of Lord Diavolo for you, Human Tsuki,” says Mephistopheles.</p><p>“Ok but, <em> please </em>, don’t call me like that. Just Tsuki is fine, Mephistopheles.”</p><p>“In this case, only Mephisto works for me!” he offers you his hand, and you shake it before leaving for your class.</p><p> </p><p>  </p><p> One week passes by and you and Lucifer are still not talking to each other. It isn’t so hard to avoid him since he’s always at his study or his room, working. You also avoid the places that he could be, like the music room or the library. Where you can’t avoid him is at the meals. However, you are both smart and a bitch, and had figured out the perfect solution: waking up earlier on school days, so you miss him at breakfast, and having dinner either too early or too late. </p><p> The brothers do not approve, unfortunately. They keep telling you to go figure out your problems with the eldest brother, but you still feel like <em> he </em> is the one who owes you an apology and you are not going to lower your head to Lucifer. After all, you have your own share of stubbornness.</p><p> Sadly, since the avatar of pride doesn't look the slightest bit interested in apologizing to you, the crochet doll plan must go on. Not because you regret your words or anything, but because you want to have some actual peace in this house.</p><p> Later at night, you decided to pour your creeping anxiety and worries into a de-stress cooking. Fumbling through the kitchen cabinets you finally find a recipe good enough to make some packed lunch. Nothing against the cafeteria food, but you just aren’t hungry and it is way past dinner. Could have settled for breakfast, but you want to cook something different. Satan had lent you several demon cooking books, so you pick what looks like a fine lunch set and cook it. But now that you’re done, you realize you made a bit too much. There should be no problem leaving it here for Beel to eat as a midnight snack.  </p><p>“Oh, what are you doing here?” Levi enters the kitchen. He goes to the fridge and grabs a water bottle. “Having a midnight snack?”</p><p>“No, I made some packed lunch for tomorrow.” Levi approaches and you show him your lunch, perfectly organized in the tupperware.</p><p>“OOOH, it looks just like a bento!” Levi’s eyes glow. “Would be so nice to eat a bento prepared by the main heroine just for me, just like an anime protagonist!” Did he just call you an anime heroine? “No one ever prepared a bento for me…” His eyes look down, with a frown in his face. “Ne, Tsuki, can you make one for me?”</p><p>“Sure.”</p><p>“’Sure’?!” Levi jumps, shocked. You blink at him, immovable. “R-Really?! I was kidding, but…! You don’t mind? Making a bento for a yuck otaku like me?”</p><p> You point at the several pans over the counter and stove.</p><p>“I cooked too much, I only need to find another bowl to arrange one for you. Besides, I am an otaku too, Levi. I would really appreciate it if you stop putting me in the same tier as the other ‘normies’.”</p><p>  Levi is with his mouth wide open. A blush is painting his cheeks while he looks to be on the verge of tears. Suddenly, he hides his face with his hands.</p><p>“T-Thank you. S-Should we have lunch together, tomorrow?”</p><p>“I would love it.” You force yourself to not add a ‘darling’ at the end just to mess with him. Levi is already embarrassed enough.</p><p> Levi nods, happily, and waves you goodnight with a bright red blush. He’s so easy to mess with, you don’t even have to <em> try </em>. Finishing both bento (looks like this is what you are calling them now), you write a note on them to Beel to NOT eat it and leave them in the fridge. The rest of the food is left on the counter with another note, ‘Safe for Beel to eat.’ You return to your room soon after.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> The next morning, Levi makes a good point to announce to all his brothers that you and he have matching bento for lunch today. Mammon is so <em> not </em> happy. Though, you must say, seeing Levi all happy and excited about something that is not a game, anime or idol is refreshing. The avatar of envy is waiting for you outside your classroom during lunch break.</p><p>You both go to the cafeteria, but Mammon and Beel come along too, as they want to see the bento. Levi refuses to eat beside Beel when the avatar of gluttony asks to taste a bit of his brother’s lunch. Complaining Beel always eats his food when he’s not looking, Levi forces you to switch places with him, making you sit beside Beel.</p><p>“Beelzebub, I swear, if you eat my lunch, I’ll never cook for you ever again,” you warn him seriously.</p><p> Beel’s expression of utter dread is enough of an answer. He stares at both bento for a few seconds, before setting on his pile of Best Human World Cheeseburger Imitation burgers.</p><p> For a few minutes, all eat in a good silence. Until Levi starts blushing and praising your food, making Mammon grit his teeth with envy. Sometimes, Mammon acts more like the avatar of envy than Levi. You don’t mind the compliments. It tastes rather good, and you are getting the hang of Devildom food quite quickly. It’s Mammon’s complaints that bother you. Sometimes you can’t tell if he likes you or hates you. Levi keeps on eating and rubbing it in his brother’s face. </p><p>“How does it feel to lose to the otaku?” Levi asks Mammon before laughing wholeheartedly.</p><p>“Tsuki, can you make a bento for me next time?” Beel asks quietly. There are only a few burgers left on his plate and you aren’t even done with your lunch yet.</p><p>“Sure, Beel. But only one or two, so I don’t slave myself in the kitchen a whole night.”</p><p>“One or two…” Beel considers it for a few seconds. “Okay,” he nods.</p><p>“Ha? I want one too!” Mammon exclaims.</p><p>“Is that how you ask for things?” you retort, annoyed. “No wonder Lucifer punishes you all the time!”</p><p> Mammon gulps, shocked.</p><p>“Tsuki-chan~,” Levi half sings, half says, in a cutesy tone. “Can you make Leviachan another bento in the future~?”</p><p>“Of course, Leviachan~,” you half sing in the same cutesy tone as Levi.</p><p> Levi gasps, bringing his hands to his face and hiding his blush away.</p><p>“Tsuki-chan is so cute…” the avatar of envy murmurs into his hands.</p><p> Mammon stares at his brother for a minute. When he faces you again, he has a fake smile.</p><p>“Tsuki-chan, can Mammon-sama have some bento too next time?” Mammon asks, mimicking the cute tone.</p><p>“I’ll think about it,” you answer, coldly.</p><p> Mammon drops the smile and assumes an annoyed expression. Before he can complain any more, Satan announces himself, behind his brother, smiling casually. The avatar of wrath pulls a chair and sits beside Mammon.</p><p>“Sorry, I was reading and got too distracted!” Satan explains. “I really wanted to see the bento too. Ah, too bad you guys are already done,” he pouts. Putting his book down, Satan looks at you. “Say, Tsuki, no one ever made lunch for me to take to RAD before…” he averts his eyes, a small blush starting to appear on his face. “So, could you make one for me too? If it isn’t too troublesome for you?”</p><p>“I’d do anything for you, Satan!” you exclaim without hesitation. Satan is always offering you help and being nice to you, there’s nothing you couldn’t ask of him.</p><p>“Wait! Are you going to accept making bento for everyone minus me?” Mammon yells loudly.</p><p>“<em> Yes </em>! Sucks to be you, normie!” Levi replies for you.</p><p>“I’m looking forward to it, Tsuki!” Satan says, a shy smile on his face. You’re tempted to send him a flying kiss but you don’t want the whole cafeteria to see the outburst of Mammon just yet, so you set on winking at him. Satan looks surprised for a second, but he only smiles again.</p><p> You call Mammon and wait till he stops fighting with Levi and looks at you so you can talk again.</p><p>“Maybe if you stop dragging me into problems I’ll consider making lunch for you too.”</p><p>“When was the last time I dragged you into problems?”</p><p> You squint your eyes.</p><p>“Uh, the quiz against Levi? Eating Beel’s custard and blaming me? Asking me to skip classes with you? ‘Pick the fancy Asmo’s cologne when you go to his room’? ‘Tell me when you see Lucifer’s wallet left alone’? I have more.”</p><p> Mammon is left gasping. He asks you to stop talking. Satan looks at the avatar of greed with a disgusted expression.</p><p>“Mammon is such trash,” Levi comments.    </p><p>  Mammon is ready to go arguing with Levi again when you hear someone calling your name. Looking to the side, you’re greeted by a certain demon.</p><p>“Hey, Tsuki, my good friend! I bought your goods,” Mephistopheles has an easy smile on his face and carries a big bag, probably full with the dolls he makes. You wonder, for a second, why he is being so friendly. He acted all suspicious of you just the other day. Is he bipolar? He puts his hand into the bag and pulls out the Diavolo doll you requested. “I hope I can meet your expectations!”</p><p> Mephistopheles hands you the doll and you examine it carefully. His smile and hair look just like the real one and his red RAD uniform looks so perfect you almost think he shrunk a real life uniform and dressed up the doll. Lucifer would be pleased.</p><p>“It looks perfect, thanks, Mephisto,” you say, still eyeing the doll. It’s so cute, you almost want it for yourself. “I’ll give you your five thousand in a second.”</p><p>“Five thousand grimm? Isn’t it a scam for such a simple doll?” Mammon complains, sending daggers to Mephisto.</p><p>“I’m glad to hear it,” Mephisto says, smiling, “and it’s the price of a work of art, I must say. However, I’m sure of scams you must know a lot more than me, right, Mammon?” he smirks, and Mammon growls at him. Then, Mephisto pulls another doll from his bag, “By the way, I had some spare time this weekend and I decided to make something special, <em> just for you </em>!”</p><p> The expectation was for a doll of you, Mammon or maybe Solomon; not for a doll of Lucifer.</p><p>“For a certain price …”</p><p> You pull the doll from his hands before he can finish, examining its intensity for a few seconds.</p><p>“Oh, my G… He looks so <em> angry </em>, it’s perfect!” you exclaim and show it to the brothers. Mammon, Satan and Levi burst out laughing. The small Lucifer doll is also perfect, from his uniform to his angry red eyes and hair that even had the faint white bangs! Mephisto is an artist, he can capture the true essence of that angry and strict demon. “His face is even the right side for me to punch it.”</p><p> And you do punch the doll in the face. Now all the demon brothers are laughing to their heart’s content.</p><p>“IS THAT A LUCIFER PLUSH?!”  </p><p>  You stand up, thanks to the scare. Turning around, you see Lord Diavolo running in your direction, leaving a very confused Barbatos behind. Of course, it <em> had </em> to be Lord Diavolo.</p><p>“It is yours? Who did it? Can I hold it?” The demon prince looks like a mix of an overly excited puppy and a kid in a toy shop. You nod, forcing a smile and handing him the doll. He eyes it like it’s precious, made of crystal or something equally fragile. It’s quite fun, and you bite your lip to not laugh right in front of Diavolo.</p><p> Funny how he didn’t see the doll of himself on top of the table. You move, blocking his vision, and throw the doll onto Beel’s lap with your elbow. You turn to him and move your lips, in a slow manner, saying “<em> Hide it. </em>” Beel gets the hint and hides the doll under the table, before Diavolo can see it.</p><p>“Mephistopheles did it, Lord Diavolo,” you say, getting his attention off the plush for two seconds.</p><p>“Really?” Diavolo turns to Mephistopheles, still overly excited, “It looks so good, I love it! I take it this one Tsuki’s, right? Well, I want one too, how much does it cost? Oh, Barbatos, come see this amazing plush doll of Lucifer! Don’t it look just like him?”</p><p> Diavolo is speaking so quickly you can barely follow the streak of words. Technically, the crochet doll isn’t yours yet, since you have no money to buy both dolls, but Diavolo isn’t giving you a second to tell him this fact. Barbatos, who has just come by, takes a look at the doll, then at Diavolo, then back at the doll.</p><p>“Yes, milord,” he looks like he couldn’t care less.  </p><p> Mephisto looks hesitant for a second. He crosses eyes with both you and Mammon. Surely, he would scam Diavolo and ask for an even higher price for the doll if you and the demon brothers weren’t here. Now you realize why he is acting like a good friend to you; he is in public with someone who Lucifer favors (ew, why), and he doesn't want to look like he antagonizes you.</p><p>“It costs five thousand grimm, but I can give Lord Diavolo a discount,” he smiles.</p><p> Damn, the bastard is smart. Mammon level smart.</p><p>“Don’t worry about it, I’ll pay the five thousand,” Diavolo smiles so brightly it could become the sun the Devildom doesn’t have.</p><p>“Great,” Mephisto still looks somewhat disturbed about talking to the Demon Prince. “I’ll be done in a few days, I can deliver it to you at the Student Council.”</p><p>“Perfect!”</p><p>“Milord, your schedule…” Barbatos starts talking, but is quickly cut off.</p><p>“I know, Barbatos,” Diavolo brushes him off. “Here Tsuki, your plush.” You almost laugh at his face again, but you press your lips together and take the doll from him. “You must be getting along with Lucifer now since you bought a plush of him!”</p><p> You freeze. You aren’t. At all. Both you and Lucifer are avoiding each other and you didn’t buy that doll, you bought a <em> Diavolo </em>doll, to make up with Lucifer. You quickly glare in the brothers’ direction, imploring for help with your eyes, but they look as taken aback as you.</p><p>“We…are better,” you manage with a forced smile on your face, starting to sweat.</p><p> Diavolo seems to believe you, and luckily, Barbatos picking on his forearm has finally got his attention. Diavolo looks at Barbatos, who only frowns at him. His servant mutters something about being late and Diavolo quickly excuses himself, waving. Once they are out of sight, Beel taps your back, and he offers you the Diavolo doll he hid.</p><p>“Oh right, I still didn’t pay Mephisto.”</p><p>“So, why did you even buy this Diavolo doll?” Beel asks while you get the money from your wallet.</p><p>“I’m using it to apologize to Lucifer.”</p><p>“Wait, <em> you’re </em> apologizing <em> to </em> Lucifer?” Levi says, a confused look in this face. “Shouldn’t it be the other way around? I mean, you did piss him off, but he shouldn’t have threatened you like that.”</p><p> You roll your eyes.</p><p>“Pff, do you think he’s capable of apologizing to anyone?” you say, with a bit too much venom. “I don’t want any more problems, so I’m giving up <em> my </em> pride so we can all have a little more peace in that house. I’m thinking of you guys too!”</p><p> The brothers go silent. You use this opportunity to pay Mephisto, and he asks about the Lucifer doll, of course.</p><p>“I don’t have money for it,” you tell Mephisto, who makes a weird face.</p><p>“You could have let Lord Diavolo buy it then,” Beel comments.</p><p>“He didn’t really give me a minute to tell him, you know.”</p><p>“Wait, let’s make a deal, Tsuki,” Satan calls out. “I’ll pay for the Lucifer doll if you let me punch it as well.”</p><p>“Deal,” you say, without any hesitation.</p><p> Satan and Mephisto both smile. The avatar of wrath pays for the doll and you put them both inside your backpack.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>  Later that day, after dinner, you gather enough courage to visit Lucifer in his study. He locked himself away again, working. You take both the ragdoll and a plate of today’s dinner, thanks to the insistence of Beel, who is concerned he didn’t see him eating dinner for the last few days. You do it, but mostly for Beel’s sake, because he has a good heart.</p><p> You knock on the door and there’s no answer for a minute. After knocking again and still getting no response, you decide to talk, since maybe he’s asleep.</p><p>“Uh, Lucifer? Can I come in for a minute?” you call out loudly.</p><p> After a few more seconds, you hear the door unlock and a soft “come in” from the inside. Bracing yourself, you enter.</p><p> The study is a really cozy place, it would be great to stay here by the fireplace, reading books, on a rainy day. But, unfortunately, it’s Lucifer workplace and entry is pretty much forbidden for everyone. You will have to stay in the common room on a rainy day.</p><p> Lucifer is absolved in his work. He doesn’t spare a second to look at you, just sitting neatly in his fancy chair with his face glued to his papers. You approach him and leave the plate of food on the small table in the middle of the room.</p><p>“I bought dinner,” you say unceremoniously.</p><p> He barely nods. If you were not looking at him you would have missed it. Walking to his table, you put the red bag with rose details that Asmo had given you on top of his oh-so-important papers. ‘<em> No, no, I shouldn’t be doing it,’ </em> you remind yourself. But it’s too late, Lucifer has raised his eyes to you and he looks annoyed. You quickly grab the bag again and force a smile.</p><p>“I bought you a peace offering!” You hold the bag in his face, waiting for him to take it.</p><p> He eyes it suspiciously. Then, straightening his position and accepting the gift, he looks inside and raises his brows.</p><p>“Is this…” he carefully takes the doll from the bag, “Lord Diavolo?”</p><p>“Yes.” Your smile softens. “A demon from RAD does crochet dolls like this and I thought you would like it!” He keeps a steady gaze at the doll. “You know, I don’t really want to keep getting into your nerves anymore. I wish we could live in peace. All of us. So.” You pause for a moment, not really wanting to continue but forcing yourself to. “Sorry for being rude and angering you last time.”</p><p>“Likewise,” Lucifer says, simply. Shortly after, he stands up, still holding the doll with utter care, and looks at you. “I suppose I also owe you an apology.” He doesn’t look sorry, though. “I realize I have been too harsh on you.”</p><p> He then walks though the shelves of the study, searching for a good place for the doll. ‘<em> Wait, that’s his apology? Is that even an apology? He just admitted he was being too harsh! </em>’ You bite your tongue, preventing you from arguing. Beggars can't be choosers and all that. Lucifer puts the doll on top of a shelf close to his table and eyes it.</p><p>“There, it looks like a good place. What do you think?”</p><p>  You follow his gaze. Honestly, the cute doll clashes with the aesthetic of the whole study so much it’s funny. But hey, if Lucifer put it here it means he really likes the doll and that’s all that matters.</p><p>“Looks good,” you agree. Lucifer keeps on watching his shelves, probably looking for a place where it would fit better, but you don’t think he can find a place where it fits better. You eye the door; you did what you had to do and now it’s time to leave before you say something you’ll regret. “So, make sure to eat dinner, ok?” Lucifer turns his gaze to you, then to the untouched plate on the center table. “I have to go now, homework awaits me,” you lie. “See you tomorrow.”</p><p>“Ah, thank you very much, for the doll and the food,” Lucifer says, as soon as he sees you walking to the door.</p><p>“No problem!” you yell, not looking back, and leave the study. The door closes with a loud ‘thump!’ behind you.  </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. I'm So Sorry</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Chapter 6 - I'm So Sorry</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You wake up scared and drenched in sweat. As you sit on the bed you use the blankets to dry your skin. Your heart is beating fast and your breathing is accelerated. It’s been a few days now; those confusing nightmares keep happening. You can never remember exactly what they were like when waking up. You only remember the sensation of imminent danger and pain, and always wake up with your heart aching for some reason. Staying in the bed until your breath is even, you grab your D.D.D from the nightstand: it’s two and a half in the morning. Not only does it take you a long time to fall asleep, but you also wake after three hours of sleep or less. There isn’t any feeling of wanting to go back to sleep, but it’s the fifth night in a row and you’re so </span>
  <em>
    <span>tired</span>
  </em>
  <span>. You want to go back home… Sure, ‘home’ may be not the best place in the world, but at least it is familiar and less dangerous than the Devildom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> After what feels like an hour but is only a messy ten minutes you decide to leave the bed. A walk may help. Walking on your tiptoes, you make way for the kitchen, trying to be as silent as possible so you won’t wake, and possibly worry, anyone. Before you can reach the door to the kitchen, your D.D.D rings. You freeze dead in your tracks. You grab the D.D.D and look at the new message.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>Lucifer</b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Feeling adventurous?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span> ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Why him?</span>
  </em>
  <span>’</span>
</p><p>
  <span> How does he even </span>
  <em>
    <span>know</span>
  </em>
  <span>, is he an all-knowing creature? When you think about ignoring it you realize he can tell you viewed the message. Fuck. You resume your walk to the kitchen while texting.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>Tsukishima</b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Sorry if I woke you up, I’m not feeling sleepy.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You can go back to sleep, don’t worry about me.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span> There’s a strong tea that is supposed to calm your nerves somewhere in the kitchen cabinets. Personally, you don’t really like the taste of tea, but you’re desperate enough to try it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You light the cabinet shelves with your D.D.D screen light but it’s so faint and the shelves are so full and crowded you should just turn the kitchen light on. Your D.D.D rings again.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>Lucifer</b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I was working until late so you didn’t wake me.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Are you feeling alright?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span> That has to be the nicest message Lucifer ever sent you. In fact, this must be the nicest phrase he ever said to you. You have this feeling that Diavolo had told Lucifer you complained about him. Or his brothers like you enough to be brave and tell Lucifer he was being a bit out of line with his harsh treatment of you. A gut feeling is telling you that </span>
  <em>
    <span>someone</span>
  </em>
  <span> had certainly brought some sense into Lucifer, because even since that fight in the dining room, he has been either ignoring you or being extra polite. Polite, not nice, there’s a difference. Was it Satan? Satan likes saying stuff to irritate Lucifer, and he also doesn’t back off from Lucifer’s threats as much as the others. Or maybe it was Lord Diavolo, he doesn’t look like the type that keeps his mouth shut.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Eyeing the message, you consider lying. But what would be the advantage? He would brush off a nightmare as nothing and tell you to go sleep. Yeah, he would totally do it.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>Tsukishima</b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I’m having nightmares.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Can’t sleep well.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I’m at the kitchen, getting some tea.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>Lucifer</b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Don’t you hate tea?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span> His reply is instant—and you thought Levi typed fast. The fact that Lucifer seems to know you dislike tea surprises you. Who even told him that? Even better question, did you actually tell anyone you dislike tea before? You can’t remember. Maybe it was something super small, at breakfast, someone must have asked if you preferred coffee or tea.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> While you are typing, he sends another message.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>Lucifer</b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I still have a lot of work to do, I may go there and help you make some tea.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span> You stop, wonder what bit him, why the sudden change, he was never that nice. You start typing again, but notice Lucifer is also typing. He types and stops typing several times, until he sends you a single word.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>Lucifer</b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Wait.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>Tsukishima</b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Would you rather call to talk?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span> He keeps typing for a while and you end up finding the tea. Leaving your D.D.D behind, you go put some water on the stove and prepare a mug with the tea bags, also a separate mug for Lucifer just because. Your D.D.D rings as you’re arranging the stuff.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>Lucifer</b>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Bring me some tea too, and come to my room, if you are having trouble falling asleep you can sleep in my bed while I finish my work.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>‘...</span>
  <em>
    <span>Is he for real? Is it a trap? It feels like a trap.</span>
  </em>
  <span>’</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You stare at your D.D.D long enough for the water to start boiling. Unsure, you leave  Lucifer without an answer and go make the tea instead. After adding the water to the mugs, you put your hands on the table and stare at the two mugs, lost in thought. ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>What do I do?</span>
  </em>
  <span>’ Not long ago, like, a bit over a week ago, you two were fighting all the time and he wouldn’t even look into your eyes, why is he acting nice all of a sudden? What triggered this change of heart? Fuck. Shit. Fuck this. You put a generous quantity of sugar in the tea and decide to go to his room. At least if you go there you can see what is wrong with Lucifer. You quickly send him the ok sticker before leaving the kitchen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> The walk to his room is full of purpose, until you freeze in front of his door. Suddenly, you realize you don’t know what is waiting for you. Your body is trembling when you hear Lucifer call for you to enter. ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>HOW DOES HE KNOW?</span>
  </em>
  <span>’ You feel cold in your belly but since you are already here, you enter, using your elbow to open the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Inside, Lucifer is sitting at a table in front of a big window. He has a mountain of paper on all sides and he looks fixed on whatever is in front of him. One hand supports his face while his other hand holds a bright red pen above his paper. He is stripped down to a single bottom up shirt and pants. His coat and some more layers of clothes are discarded and stacked one on top of another in a hanger beside him. Then, you notice he is without his gloves. ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>He actually takes them off!’</span>
  </em>
  <span> As expected, he has his nails painted like the rest of the brothers, his in a bright red—the same color as the gloves he uses in his demon form. Funny how his room is perfectly tidy and organized aside from his little work corner.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I brought the tea,” you announce, still frozen solid in the doorway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come in,” he says, without moving an inch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Since Lucifer doesn't seem to be moving any time soon you enter, close the door with your foot and walk to his table. Up close, it seems to have even more papers, somehow, and you wonder how he knows which is which. You scan the table for a place to put his mug but the whole thing is a mess. You are about to ask when Lucifer moves his right hand (the one with the pen) and grabs a bunch of papers without even looking at them, storing them in a drawer. He does all of this without taking his eyes off the paper he is reading. You carefully put the mug on the clean place and quickly pass your eyes over the paper Lucifer is reading. There are a lot of words and lots of pages too. You turn around, eyeing his room now, unsure about what to do now, he did say to take his bed but…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can take the bed or sit here, I don’t mind,” Lucifer’s voice makes you snap back to him, almost jumping. Your hold is tight on the mug, afraid of it falling on the room’s carpet and creating unnecessary problems this late at night.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> There is a chair close to you in front of Lucifer’s table. Not feeling brave enough to sit on his bed (even with proper consent, twice) you sit on the chair and take a sip of the tea. The tea is sweeter than what you wanted, it basically tastes like sugar, but as there’s nothing to do about it, you drink in silence. You scan Lucifer’s face. He looks terribly tired; there are bags under his eyes and his hair is all messy. You stare at his black shirt where the top two buttons are opened, exposing part of his neck. You’re surprised Lucifer let you in at all like this. You always thought he had some aversion to showing his skin or something, considering he dresses covering every bit of skin possible.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>  He finally sighs and turns a page in the paper he is reading, surprising you. Since he moved, he also takes a sip of the tea. He hesitates for a second and you half expect an angry remark.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Too sweet,” he says, in a low tone, and goes back to his paper.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You start to wonder if he is the one who is not feeling well. Without realizing, you empty your mug. You play with the tea bag for a while, periodically sending glares at Lucifer. You think about getting your D.D.D to pass time but you don’t want to know what time it is. Luckily, tomorrow is a Saturday and you can sleep a little longer. If you can sleep. In the meanwhile, you decide to take a look around Lucifer’s room. There’s a giant window on one side of the room with a view to the perfectly cared for garden. A fireplace burns low in another corner, and above it you see a shelf with intricate decorations and several paintings of…Lucifer himself. He’s not called the avatar of </span>
  <em>
    <span>pride</span>
  </em>
  <span> for nothing; the biggest painting has him laying with a dead bear fur and bloody red covers. Next to the fireplace, there’s a record player and a collection of records—the cursed TSL record should be in there. Something that looks suspicious like a skeleton in rags is hanging from the ceiling in a corner, and you wonder if it is protecting some secret entrance or something. Actually, is that a skeleton of a demon or a human? Suddenly, you don’t want to know.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>  A ridiculous number of candles illuminates his room, as if the demon is averse to electricity, while a giant and fancy chandelier is found in the room’s center just above his bed. The ghostly light of the candles over the dark grey aesthetic only clashes slightly with the golden details present on the walls, painting frames and candle holders.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> After a long time, even though you are still feeling like an anxious mess, you gather enough courage to break the silence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aren’t you tired?” you say, voice low, and put your mug close to Lucifer’s, careful to not get on top of any papers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Lucifer flinches, but only for a second, and if you weren’t looking at him you would have missed it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I still have a lot of work to do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You observe him for a little longer before letting your mouth get the best of you.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you even making any progress?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Lucifer pauses again, then sighs. He drops the pen and pulls his hands through his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, not really,” he admits. Lucifer passes a hand through his hair and finally looks at you. He is not looking either angry or disappointed, which is new. “Aren’t you sleepy yet?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nah,” you look away, “I’m tired but falling asleep is hard.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Lucifer keeps his gaze on you for a moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want to talk about the nightmares?” he offers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No. I can’t remember them well when I wake anyway.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Lucifer hums, he eyes his mountain of paperwork and after a few seconds he starts stacking and organizing the papers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am very familiar with nightmares,” he says suddenly. “And also…” he stops, considering his next words carefully. “I come to terms that I wasn’t treating you very well.” The confession makes you gasp. “Therefore, I want to make amends; that’s why I offered my bed. I know sleeping with someone else can make you sleep easier. And, being completely honest, I </span>
  <em>
    <span>too</span>
  </em>
  <span> am in need of a good night of sleep. My work has been keeping me very stressed lately.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> There are a lot of new things and feelings going through your head. Lucifer leaves you astounded, and now he looks like the type that is more honest when tired or drunk. He expects no answer as he keeps organizing his paperwork. You almost want to say it’s better to sleep with someone you trust, but looking at his pale and tired persona you can’t believe he is capable of doing anything to you in this state. You take a deep breath, then stand up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks,” you feel like you should take this opportunity to make amends too, since you don’t want to spend a whole year fighting with Lucifer. “I swear I’ll try to not make your life any more difficult. I feel like we have two very strong and distinct personalities that clash sometimes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“‘Strong personality’ hmm...” He glares back at you, looking like he wants to say something else, but decides not to. “That’s one way to put it,” he says, instead, and chuckles to himself. That remark offends you a little. “Are you going back to your room?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Didn’t you invite me to sleep here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I did, but you never got even close to the bed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Ah, true.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“It would feel weird, lying in your bed while you work,” you admit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Lucifer holds his glare at you, looking into your eyes. For a moment, you both just stand looking at each other. Then, Lucifer chuckles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then, if I lie in bed now, you’ll join me?” he smirks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You don’t like his tone—it feels like there is something more to his comment than just an innocent question. Your face starts getting hot and you look away. Hesitating for a second, you clear your throat before agreeing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Lucifer still has a smile on his face when he leaves the working desk. He says he needs to go to his bathroom before going to bed and you nod. You take the mugs to the kitchen quickly and stop by the common bathroom before going back to Lucifer’s room. As you enter, Lucifer is closing the window curtains, like, all of them. Most of the room lights are off, and only one small candle by his nightstand is on. You close the door and leave your D.D.D on the nightstand. Lucifer tells you to turn off the light.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Lucifer sighs as he lies in bed and you join him, on the very opposite end of the bed, and dive into the blankets. Why he needs fur blankets is beyond you. The demon eyes you from afar. His bed is so big, two more people could join and there would still be space.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aren’t you a bit too far?” he asks. He sounds curious, but in the darkness you can’t see his face well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think so!” you say with a forced laugh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Lucifer hums and goes silent for a second.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Goodnight Tsuki.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Goodnight Lucifer.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span> Waking up, you feel warm and relaxed. Slowly you open an eye. It’s dark and slightly unfamiliar. You snuggle back into the covers before raising your head and opening both eyes. Right in front of you is a sleeping Lucifer. The sight paralyses you, and it takes a few seconds to recall last night. You had agreed to sleep in Lucifer’s bed. Right, right. Then you realize you had a good night of sleep, completely void of any dreams, and are feeling quite nice, actually. Well, a bit anxious now. Sometime during the night you got closer to each other, and now Lucifer has an arm around you, your legs are tangled under the blankets and you must have embraced him during the night too. Your face gets hot with embarrassment while you stare at Lucifer, still sleeping and looking very peaceful. His lighter bangs are falling in his eyes and his mouth is agape. You can now notice just how </span>
  <em>
    <span>beautiful</span>
  </em>
  <span> he is. All the brothers are very good looking, even an ace like you needs to admit it, but Lucifer may be prettiest of them all…if he didn’t look so angry and done all the time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You calm down enough to not move. It’s warm and you start to feel like going to the bathroom, but you’re afraid moving might wake Lucifer up and you don’t want to wake him yet. You take deep breaths and try to relax into the warm and comfortable mattress. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>  You must have drowned in sleep at some point because you jolt awake. Looking up, you see Lucifer has moved around you. The demon stills and peers down with one eye open, looking more asleep than awake. After a few seconds of glaring, he closes his eyes and resumes his place, embracing you tightly and resting his face on top of your head. You feel yourself freeze, confused. ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Why is he doing it? Is he still asleep?</span>
  </em>
  <span>’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good morning, Lucifer,” you say, now almost pressed to his chest. This is bad for your heart; it is going wild again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good morning,” you hear him mutter, his voice rough with sleepiness.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span> So, he </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> awake. You wait a moment, wondering if he is not listening to your crazy heartbeat or if he just doesn’t care. Though, it does feel nice, cuddling with someone else in a big warm bed. It’s not hard to just let yourself relax and go back to sleep. With all the curtains closed, you can’t tell if it’s too late in the morning or not. Getting your D.D.D from the nightstand is also out of question, as Lucifer’s in the way. Some time passes and the demon doesn’t move. You give up and pass your right arm around him, setting it on his back, and bury your head into his chest. You can hear his beating like this. ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>So, the demon does have a heart</span>
  </em>
  <span>’. Lucifer stiffens. ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>He’s still awake?</span>
  </em>
  <span>’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You really aren’t a morning demon, right?” you say, mostly because you can’t think of anything else to say in this situation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> After a moment, Lucifer removes his limbs from around you and puts some distance between you and him. He rests his head onto a pillow and looks at you. His eyes are half closed—you don’t even need an answer at this point.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t function well in the mornings…” he says. When you think he’s done, he continues, “That’s why I work until late every night. Did you sleep well?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I did. Not a single dream bothered me last night, thank you again,” the question almost surprises you. “Did you sleep well too?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> He goes deep in thought for a moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess. I had a nice dream.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really? What was it about?” You had to admit, Lucifer is way cooler with his morning sleepiness behavior.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Lucifer takes a few seconds to think.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was walking down by a lake…” he says, then trails off, looking away. You can’t tell if he doesn’t remember or doesn't want to talk about it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That sounds nice, I want to have some nice dreams too.” You try to keep the conversation light. “Does the Devildom even have lakes? I heard it has beaches, even though there isn’t a sun here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, there are some. The Palace of the Demon King, where Lord Diavolo lives, has one, but it wasn’t there…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You nod. The palace of the Demon King must be a big place. The room goes silent, while you and Lucifer both lie around in bed, looking at each other. Since Lucifer has released you from the cuddling cage, you wonder if it’s time to get going now. Lucifer closes his eyes and you decide that it would be a good idea to check the time. You travel down the bed to reach your D.D.D. It’s way past ten in the morning and you both had missed breakfast.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lucifer, it’s late, we should leave the bed,” you tell him, but the demon only grunts. “Can I use your bathroom?” He grunts again. Must be a yes. If it’s a no you’ll find out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You cross the room to get to the bathroom and since Lucifer didn’t grunt again, it was a ‘yes’ after all. Lucifer’s bathroom is as fancy as his room; the whole thing is made with shiny white stone, has golden details everywhere and is perfectly tidy. You try to not get anything dirty or knock anything out of its place. When the soap slips from your hands to the ground, you quickly put it back in place and use toilet paper to dry the floor. He won’t know. Probably. When you’re back to the room, Lucifer is still in the same spot on the bed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lucifer, it’s past ten and a half, your brothers will start wondering where we are soon,” you tell him, after seeing the time on your D.D.D again. There are a lot of message notifications but you ignore them. You can reply when you’re back at your room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Lucifer groans and mutters something you don’t understand. He moves on the bed, now lying with his eyes facing the ceiling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you for letting me spend the night,” you call out. It’s not the first time you’ve thanked him, but you don’t really know what else to say. Stupid brain is not function well. “Can I make a question before I go?” Lucifer turns so he is facing you. He nods. “What made you want to reconsider and change the way you were treating me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Lucifer stares at you for a moment, then he sighs and passes a hand through his hair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lots of things.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> This really doesn’t answer your question. Maybe it WAS Diavolo after all. Considering how much of a lap dog he is for Diavolo, it wouldn’t be weird if he’s doing it for him. The main reason you’re in his house is because of Diavolo anyway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You already have your hand on the doorknob when Lucifer speaks again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Levi has been leaving his room more often, lately.” You stop and turn to look at him. Lucifer has moved back to face the ceiling, looking troubled. Or annoyed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I started bothering him to join us for dinner and breakfast. I think we are very similar and I want to get closer to him, but it is a bit hard when he never leaves his room, so I’ve been trying to convince him to leave for the meals, at least.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You also went to watch Beel’s training,” Lucifer comments right after you closed your mouth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah that, why did no one tell me Beel is a major player in a team?” That did bother you. “He’s such an animal playing, I was shocked to learn it from Simeon! I honestly thought the only thing Beel does is eat, cook, eat and eat, but he does have hobbies too. And, I would </span>
  <em>
    <span>love</span>
  </em>
  <span> to go to the gym more often, just down the street! I feel like someone should have taught me this sooner too.” You miss going to the fighting classes at the gym. “Anyway, Beel asked me to film his workout session and he agreed to bring me along when he goes there, since I can’t go anywhere alone and all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Lucifer hums.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Asmo and Satan also have been saying good things about you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I get it now. You only care about something if your brothers tell you to.” For some reason, the realization makes you angry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> This does make Lucifer look at you, his expression still neutral.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like I said, lots of things,” he finally sits up in the bed. Looks like you managed to rouse him. He passes a hand through the mess that is his hair again—either a nervous tic or he dislikes being untidy around others. “You aren’t bad yourself. It was quite pleasant having you here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You mean you like my company when you’re not being a </span>
  <em>
    <span>dick</span>
  </em>
  <span> to me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> And, there goes the nice banter. This is it, there’s no way he’s going to keep being nice. Your mouth acts faster than your brain and now you regret saying that. Lucifer looks intensely at you; you are left gaping in surprise when he smiles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think what you mean is: when you aren’t being a </span>
  <em>
    <span>brat.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>How dare he?</span>
  </em>
  <span>’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not a brat!” Lucifer's smile gets bigger and he looks amused. “Why are you smiling?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> He stands from the bed and walks towards you, still smiling. It feels weird, seeing him in a good mood.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course not, you are more responsible than half of my brothers, that’s why I said ‘being’. When you’re not being a cocky brat, you are not bad.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“’Cocky,’’” you repeat, stunned. You need a moment to think of a comeback, because Lucifer has caught you off guard. “I... Maybe you are just too sensitive about what I say.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Lucifer’s brows rise slightly and he seems to consider it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You are not wrong,” he admits, shocking you yet again. This morning is just packed with surprises! “I have to admit I have been a little on edge since the exchange program started, with too much work leaving me more stressed than usual.” Wow, are you dreaming or is it a miracle? He’s being honest for a change. “From your expression, I think you agree.” Lucifer keeps smiling at your shocked expression, but then he turns away, dropping the smile and lowering his tone. “I’m sorry…” he says, voice just above a whisper, “For that day, you know the one. It was uncalled for and I regret it.”</span>
</p><p>
  
  <em>
    <span>Oh</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You never thought Lucifer would apologize for anything, sure that his pride wouldn’t allow it. You look away from him, suddenly getting anxious. You had already apologized about that day with the Diavolo doll, but you still feel like there are more things to apologize for, and you feel like you weren’t being all that sincere back then. </span>
</p><p>
  <span> Maybe Lucifer isn’t so bad after all. After a moment of reflection, you realize you need to work to stop pushing the demons away. So far, putting aside some minor things, they have been quite nice to you. And since Lucifer is willing to let go of his pride to apologize as well, it seems like a good time to put your differences aside and try to have a better relationship with him too. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s ok, I must admit I acted way too rude to you guys in the beginning,” you say, looking down. “Let’s just forget it; start again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> A silence falls over the room. It’s uncomfortable and you start wondering if it is a good idea to just leave.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I agree.” He offers you his hand. “Let’s leave all the meaningless fights in the past.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You scan his hand for a second before accepting it. Lucifer opens his mouth to speak, but whatever he had to say dies in this throat. Your D.D.D starts ringing, loudly, startling both of you. You let go of Lucifer’s hand to answer it, without even looking at who is calling. Then, suddenly, the door behind you opens violently. The doorknob hits your back and the sharp pain makes you gasp audibly instead of yelling. You stumble forward and Lucifer catches you in his arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, Lucifer, have you seen Tsuki?” Mammon shouts into the room, “I have searched the whole house seeking them! They have not replied to any…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> He stops once he sees the scene before him. You have your head pressed into Lucifer’s chest again, and your pose is all awkward too. He is holding you with both his arm and his hand on your back. Both of you are in simple clothes and with bed hair. Your face burns. Mammon is the loudest demon in the house, he’s going to let </span>
  <em>
    <span>everyone</span>
  </em>
  <span> know you spent the night in Lucifer’s room. You don’t dare even move and just now notice you let your D.D.D fall to the ground.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you two...”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“MAMMOOOON!” Lucifer yells. You flinch and are sure Mammon did too. “You hit Tsuki with the door!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry!” he screams, quickly. “Sorry Tsuki, I didn’t know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s no excuse, you shouldn’t open my door—</span>
  <em>
    <span>any door</span>
  </em>
  <span>—like this,” Lucifer scolds him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You straighten your back and Lucifer helps you until you’re back to your feet. You look at him first, unsure of how to face Mammon. He lets go of his hold on you.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you hurt?” Lucifer says, his face showing genuine concern. He’s so close again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span> You look away, face flushed, and force a laugh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Haha…ha. I’m fine! Just startled.” The place where the doorknob hit you will leave a bruise, you know it will. Why must you be so unlucky?</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Lucifer sighs, he turns to Mammon and so do you. Mammon looks like he is dying to know what is going on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you two slee…?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tsuki is right </span>
  <em>
    <span>here</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Lucifer growls, cutting Mammon off. “Now that you know where they are, you can </span>
  <em>
    <span>leave</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> The avatar of pride is looking at his younger brother as if he wants to kill him. Mammon shrieks and leaves, yelling (as usual).</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Talk to you later, Tsuki!” his voice echoes through the corridor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You let out a sigh. The day has barely started and it is already looking…promising. You retrieve your D.D.D from the ground while Lucifer murmurs several complaints about his brother. As you look at the screen, you see Levi was the one who called you—and he is still in the call.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why are you listening?!” you shout at the D.D.D. Levi turns off immediately. “Coward!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Lucifer looks at you, confused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, I better get going.” You sigh again. You can’t have a single day of peace in the House of Lamentation. “I’m popular.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Lucifer chuckles. He passes a hand through your messed hair before you can even move.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Have a good day, Mr. Popular,” he smiles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Blushing, you take your leave.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, you too,” you manage, before basically running away. Why is your heart beating so fast all of a sudden? Those demons will kill you someday.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Make yourself a favor and listen to I’m So Sorry by Imagine Dragons B) I love this song and I think it’s pretty underrated.</p><p>This is one of my favorite chapters, actually :D Also, my writing style is going back and forth between angst and happy chapters/scenes, I try to keep a good balance. Is totally fine to let me know if you see any mistakes/typos, I'll fix it! I edit a lot and have a beta reader friend helping me but we can still let something pass;;;<br/>I hope peoples are enjoying my story.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Some Kind of Disaster</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Today I bring Some Kind of Disaster by All Time Low<br/>Prepare to board the angst train &gt;:)</p><p>Sorry for the wait;;; My beta reader was busy (playing games).</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Chapter 7 - Some Kind of Disaster</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A rare event joined all the demon brothers on a Saturday morning. Beel had an important game and despite telling everyone literally one day and a half in advance, his brothers still manage to work on their schedules to attend. They even made a cool banner to cheer on Beel (but not after spending hours arguing on the matter). You had shown more support for Beel over the course of the last three weeks, starting everyday day after your exams, when you would study and chill by the team’s practice field. Since Beel was the top player and he said ‘whoever touches you dies,’ no one even got close to you.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Beel had almost dragged you to the cheerleaders’ locker room today, all because you jokingly said the cheerleaders’ slogan and told him you want to cheer him up so his team can win. After explaining you aren’t actually going to dress as cheerleader, he let you go, with a disappointed expression.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You understood absolutely nothing about the game, called Fangol. The closest human sport would be American football, but the demons’ game is even more violent, which results in you stopping a few times to ask Satan “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Is this allowed? Is THAT allowed?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Satan laughs and explains the rules that don’t make much sense to you. Beel had already explained the rules, but since you were more interested in his bare chest and muscles you didn’t listen to a thing he said, and only nodded every time he asked if you were understanding it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> The game ends and the RAD team wins. Beel is appointed as the ace of the team, having scored most of his team’s points with fewest fouls. The brothers get so excited that Levi and Mammon decide to grab the banner and wave it around. When things calm down a little, you and the brothers leave the bleachers and wait for Beel at the entrance of the locker rooms. Once Beel emerges, he waves goodbye to his team members and all of you head out. Beel has a snack in his mouth and is carrying a big sack with even more snacks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Congrats, Beel!” you fawn over him, excited. “You were great! And scored most of your team’s points! Did you win all this food too?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Beel looks down at the bag on this hand for a second, then nods.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Captain said I could eat all of it if I did well in the game.” His mouth was still full, so he swallowed it all before continuing. “Thanks, Tsuki. I’m very happy you and everyone came here today to cheer me up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> His smile is as bright as the sun. You couldn’t help but smile too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m happy to hear it!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Next time make sure you don’t let us know so close to the game date,” Lucifer says. Instead of his usual scolding tone, his voice is lighter, and he looks very pleased with his brother's performance today. “We almost didn’t have time to finish the banner.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, what was the big idea of inviting us barely a day before the game?” Mammon gripes, and he does make it sound like a scold.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, I forgot,” Beel says, getting another snack to eat. “As an apology and thank you, you guys can get </span>
  <em>
    <span>one</span>
  </em>
  <span> snack each.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Beel’s sharing food? Such a rare event, I need to participate,” Satan exclaims. He gets a few snacks from the bag and distributes them to whomever wants one. Only Lucifer and Asmo passed on the snacks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> The group walks in relative calm for a while. Levi and Mammon are still excited, commenting about all the good plays they saw in the game. You quietly listen to the convo while eating a cereal bar. You’re halfway to the house when the game talk dies a little and Asmo calls the attention to himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Since today was a fun family activity, I want to invite everyone to watch my musical in two weeks!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You will star in a musical, Asmo? Can you even sing?” you ask, confused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, remember, I’m a member of the drama club. Three times a year the drama club will make a play or musical for the whole academy to watch. This month, our play will be a musical of one of the Devildom’s most acclaimed literature books.” He sounds more and more excited the more he speaks. “And of course I can sing! I’m also going to be the protagonist, but that’s obvious, isn’t it?” Then he laughs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Very obvious,” Levi sighs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wonder if Asmo pays or enchants his club members to always let him be the protagonist,” Mammon complains.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How rude!” Asmo yells. “I am simply the most talented and popular member of the drama club! I don’t need to pay or to enchant anyone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you say so…” Levi murmurs, making Mammon giggle. Another rare event is happening right next to you: Levi and Mammon getting along. You wonder if it’s all thanks to you, like Lucifer commented the other day, since the three of you have been getting closer and spending more time together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Every student at RAD is required to join a club and have official club activity hours to graduate. Normally, everyone only sticks by one club, but you can attend up to three. You had picked the cooking club for only one reason, which was hearing Luke excitedly decide he wanted to join it. It ended up being a lot of fun. You normally do the group lessons with Luke, who is great at baking desserts, and learn a lot so you can hold your own well when it’s your turn to cook in the House of Lamentation. Besides, it is a nostalgic activity from your days at the college dorm. Aside from a few occasions, like when a demon said he would like to cook </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and endless teasing of Luke being compared to a dog, it is fun. You were able to get the professor on your side with your ‘fantastic’ knowledge of human foods and she now ends any fun comments about you or Luke from other demons as soon as she hears them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> As for the demon brothers, Asmo is in the drama club; Satan in literature; Levi in the programming club (he had said this was only because he can stay the whole time in front of a computer screen, barely getting in touch with the other students); and Lucifer is apparently in the Devildom law club, but he spends so much time at the student council you don’t know if he manages to participate in club activities or not. Beel is part of the RAD Fangol team. He had been in the cooking club before, but he was banned after eating the whole food supply for a lesson, leaving the club members with nothing to do. Which only leaves Mammon—you don’t know if he even attends a club at all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Talking about clubs, are you even in a club, Mammon?” you ask, curious.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m pretty sure he was banished from every club he put his foot on,” Satan comments.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey!” Mammon interjects. “Of course I am in a club! Lucifer would bother me to no end if I didn’t manage to stay in a club.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, which one is the poor club that has to endure you this time?” Levi asks. Looks like it’s not only you who doesn't know.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stop talking like I’m a bother! The photography club has accepted me,” he laughs after scolding everyone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Photography?” Asmo repeats, confused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you even like taking photos, Mammon?” Beel asks, showing some interest in the conversation now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well no, I actually model for the members of the photography club, they take pictures of me,” he laughs again, happy. “I act like their muse, ya know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, are you telling us…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you telling </span>
  <em>
    <span>me,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Lucifer cuts off Satan, speaking louder, “that you are using the photography club to get money?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What, no! I’m not modeling for them in exchange for money. I do it in exchange for club work hours,” Mammon clarifies quickly, but then gets pale when he realizes he said something wrong. “Wait! I help them out too! And I’m not causing any problems or scamming anyone, so it’s fine right, Lucifer?” he laughs nervously after adding his corrections.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Lucifer stops to think about it. While the oldest brother is pensive, the other brothers compliment Mammon and tell him he is being intelligent ‘for once’. Mammon takes it as a compliment and an insult at the same time. In the end, Lucifer is forced to let it slide since it doesn’t sound like Mammon is scamming anyone, but he does state he'll be going to check on the photography club more often.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span> Apparently, you can’t go one week without any problems in the Devildom. Friday, Luke comes crying to you and Beel asking for shelter after a fight with Simeon. You wish some demons (named Lucifer) wouldn’t be so damn strict and let Luke get a vacant room for a few days. No, you have to </span>
  <em>
    <span>hide him</span>
  </em>
  <span> in Beel’s room. Now, it would be terrible if Lucifer finds out, especially since for the first time in forever you two are getting along. But Beel is on your side and you like Luke enough to try to help him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Unfortunately, on the second day of hiding Luke, the talk around the house is that you and Beel are hiding a dog. And, of course, Lucifer has to come to check everyone’s room later at night. Beel shoves Luke into his closet and when Lucifer goes to check the room, he finds nothing. After Lucifer takes his leave you can’t find Luke anymore. </span>
</p><p>
  <span> The next day comes and after scanning all over the house and even stumbling into Lilith’s old room, you and Beel still haven’t found Luke. The room is bright and everything is covered by white sheets. The atmosphere here feels different, but familiar at the same time. You wonder why…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What was Lilith like, Beel?” you ask out of curiosity, still eyeing the room. Looks like no one has used it in many years. The whole place smells like dust.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Beel goes deep in thought for a minute.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How can I say…? Oh, she was very lively!” He opens a smile. “She loved helping others, every time she saw someone was having some sort of problem, she would offer help. Lilith also loved traveling! She did many travels to the Human Realm when she was still alive.” Beel stops for a moment here, face going serious. “She would excitedly tell us all about her travels to the human world… Lilith always had a big smile on her face, and, to be honest, she was the most irresponsible of all of us; she was a bit too eager and constantly forgot to do her job or left it just half done. Now that I think about it, you aren’t alike at all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, duh,” you shrug. “She sounds nice, sorry for your loss.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nah, it’s ok. It’s been a long time.” You know the topic of Lilith still pains Beel, but he tries to put on a strong face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You sigh, leaving the room, starting to get really worried over the cute little angel. You grab your D.D.D, ready to call Simeon for help, when your D.D.D rings. It’s Mammon, and he’s urging you to come to the underground tomb immediately. Beel takes you here (‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>seriously, an underground tomb? Does this house have everything?</span>
  </em>
  <span>’).</span>
</p><p>
  <span> In the tomb, you see Lucifer in his demon form standing furiously over Luke. The angel is close to a tomb where a shiny purple book glows with magic, covered by dark vines. You pay no attention to any details of the tomb, or to how every single brother is down here, and rush to Luke’s side. Beel takes one more step and goes to confront Lucifer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Beel,” Lucifer starts, voice full of rage, “You let this angel roam around the house? He was trying to steal the grimoire.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wasn’t!” Luke cries out, “I didn’t even know it was a grimoire! And I wasn’t trying to steal it…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s a grimoire?” you whisper to Beel.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A grimoire is a book that permits someone to control a demon even without having a pact with him. Is a very powerful thing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You both better be prepared to face the consequences,” Lucifer growls. He hasn’t listened to a word of what Luke said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Looks like you have no choice. You step in in front of both Beel and Luke. You hear both move behind you and Mammon yells for you to not get too close to Lucifer. But you stand your ground and look the angry demon in the eyes. Well, there goes all the friendship you had worked so hard to acquire with Lucifer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Move aside, human,” he demands. “Or do you want to </span>
  <em>
    <span>die</span>
  </em>
  <span> here?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>  His voice drips with rage and you can tell he is serious. But you don’t bother.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I won’t move until you calm down and listen to what we have to say,” you say, firmly, and open your arms protectively. “You got it all wrong.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Beel and his brothers </span>
  <em>
    <span>beg</span>
  </em>
  <span> for you to not do it, but you ignore them all. If they are all that worried, they can try to stop you themselves.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A human risking so much to defend a demon and an angel? How very interesting,” Lucifer commends, still sounding very vicious. “Well, if you want so badly to be a hero, how about I give you a choice? You can only save one of them, Beelzebub or Luke. It’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>one or the other</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Even if he says it you can’t give in and let Lucifer have his way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I won’t stand by this bullshit. I want and I will save both.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Both Beel and Luke whine behind you. The other brothers are frozen in place. It starts feeling like </span>
  <em>
    <span>déjà vu</span>
  </em>
  <span>, just like that day at breakfast, when you challenged Lucifer, he threatened you, and all the demon brothers did was stand in place looking horrified, as if you asked for a death sentence. Is Lucifer that much more powerful than all the others? He certainly looks scary when he’s angry, like right now. You are more than likely getting used to his angry demon form by now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What did you just say? You want to save </span>
  <em>
    <span>both</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” He is looking more and more mad and the aura behind him is getting darker. “Do you think I’m going to allow a lowly human like you that choice? THAT YOU CAN HAVE WHATEVER YOU WANT?! </span>
  <b>NO</b>
  <span>...!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> For some odd reason, you feel like he isn't talking about you… It sounds very personal. You still don’t move. ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>He’s trying to scare me,</span>
  </em>
  <span>’ you think to yourself. ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe it's a test, to see when I’ll run away.’</span>
  </em>
  <span> But you don’t plan on running away. Your legs are trembling, you can feel the sweat dripping down your skin and the loud beat of your heartbeat in your ears, but you still don’t move. After all, you’re the exchange student, Lucifer is responsible for you, he’s doing it for Diavolo, as he had said before. He would never do anything to cause problems for Lord Diavolo.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>  He’s looking like a mad dog and you’re starting to think he may </span>
  <em>
    <span>actually</span>
  </em>
  <span> kill you this time. ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>No, no,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> you try to calm down, ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>There’s absolutely no way Lucifer would ever attack-</span>
  </em>
  <span>-’ You see a flash of Lucifer’s hand cutting through the air and feel an impact to your left side. You’re unconscious before you even hit the ground.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <b>Lucifer POV (3</b>
  <b>rd</b>
  <b> person)</b>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span> A choir of ‘NOOOOOOOOOOO!’’s echoes through the tomb. In a second, Beel, Luke and Levi are all holding Lucifer. Beel, in his demon form, is holding his right arm, the angel Luke is helping him, holding his waist. Levi, also in his demon, holds Lucifer’s left arm. Satan and Asmo rush to the human lying on the ground while Mammon is standing hesitant between the human and his older brother. Lucifer tries to move, still seeing red.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, Lucifer! The fault is all mine, attack me instead, but leave Tsuki out of it!” Beel shouts at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, it’s all MY fault!” Luke cries out, loud. “I’ll take responsibility for everything, but leave Beel and Tsuki out of it!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lucifer, what has gotten into you?!” Levi yells, looking at him with pleading eyes. “You attacked Tsuki, Lucifer. TSUKI!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Their yelling and pleas are loud, and Lucifer tries to break free, only to be kept in his place. Mammon’s eyes widen and he lets go of his hesitation. He also changes to his demon form and stays adamant in front of the human.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span> ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>How dare they? How dare they ALL?,</span>
  </em>
  <span>’ Lucifer thinks in his mad mind. The human has always been a bother, a stone in his shoe. All they do is challenge him, mock him, get on his nerves and never listen. They even went up the stairs! The nerve…!  And they still had the courage to say they choose both? Impossible! If Lucifer himself is supposed to pick a side, then so do they!</span>
</p><p>
  <span> He keeps his gaze on the human. They had not been moving ever since Lucifer attacked them, gotten them out of the way. Asmo is patting all over the human’s body and Satan looks like he’s checking for their vital signals.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do we do? What do we do, Satan? Will Tsuki survive?!” Asmo cries out, he’s starting to walk in circles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not a doctor but…I think they may have gotten a concussion…” Satan stops abruptly. He is kneeled beside the human, watching them carefully. “W-we should get a doctor; they are injured so we must know about the severity of their injuries.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>So, are they all on the human’s side? Pathetic!</span>
  </em>
  <span>’ Lucifer thinks. He could take all of them in a fight. Sure, it wouldn’t be easy, but he’s certain he can win, he is the oldest and the strongest. How dare they stand in his way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Lucifer watches the human, still not moving. There is a bruise on their neck that is starting to bleed. Asmo lets out a sharp scream when he sees the blood. Humans are so fragile, Lucifer barely touched them. Still. While Lucifer watches the human, the words ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>I have a name! My name’s Tsuki!</span>
  </em>
  <span>’ suddenly recall in his mind. Something doesn’t feel quite alright with him. He can feel the tight grips on his arms, where his younger brothers hold him. It doesn’t hurt, but is a reminder that he is immobilized. At least for now. He’s about to break free from their hold when he starts feeling a bit uneasy. Deep, deep down, in his core, uneasiness starts to creep out on him. His anger dies, little by little, when he begins to realize what he has done.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span> ‘Lucifer, I have been thinking, wouldn’t it be safest for us to let the human Tsukishima stay in the House of Lamentation?’ Lord Diavolo had asked, a few days before the exchange program was set to start.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Of course, Lord Diavolo’, Lucifer replied promptly. True be said, he was expecting this request. ‘Leave the exchange student in my care. I’ll prepare a room for them and make sure my brothers behave well, so they would be safer in the House of Lamentation.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span> ‘Are you sure it won’t be too much trouble for you?’</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span> ‘No at all, Lord Diavolo. I swear I won’t disappoint you and make sure this exchange program works as intended,’ Lucifer had guaranteed him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span> ‘Wonderful! I’m counting on you, Lucifer.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>  Sweat breaks on his skin. He had attacked the exchange student! The human! Tsuki…</span>
</p><p>
  
  <em>
    <span>‘Are you going to sleep here again?’ Lucifer had asked. He was not looking at Tsuki, he had a lot of work to finish and it was getting late. Tsuki had come over to study, complaining the brothers were being too much of a distraction and asking to hide themselves in his room until they were done. They had already finished all homework and were currently rolling on his bed, playing with their D.D.D.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span> ‘Nah, I have been sleeping better.’ They rolled over on the bed so they could look at Lucifer. ‘My nightmares have given me a truce, so I don’t think I’ll be sleeping here anytime soon.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span> Lucifer hummed, showing he listened, that was good news. After a few more minutes of only hearing the sound of tapping and his covers moving, Tsuki talked again.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span> ‘Are you missing me already?’ They used a funny tone, a suggestive one. Lucifer was forced to fight a smile. How cute it was, Tsuki thinking Lucifer is missing them. But, was he even missing them? Sure, it felt nice sleeping beside someone else, and the small human had been a lot more pleasant to handle lately...</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span> ‘Not at all. I only asked because it’s getting late and I still have a lot of work to do,’ Lucifer said. He raised his eyes to the human for a second, and in that second he was able to catch when they made a pout, disappointed. But only for a second, because they smiled devilishly next.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span> ‘Really? I’m hurt! I was so sure you missed me!’ They joked and laughed briefly.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span> Did he? Or was Tsuki the only one missing sharing Lucifer’s bed? He didn’t know, but he also didn’t dwell on those strange feelings inside of him, he just ignored them. A few minutes later, Tsuki stood up, fixed Lucifer’s bed sheets and gathered their things. They left right after and Lucifer immediately felt…lonely.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aaah…” Lucifer reverts to his human form. The feeling of dread and urgency washes all over him. “What have I done?” he says out loud, he keeps his gaze on the human and seeing Tsuki motionless, hurt and bleeding on the ground is starting to feel so, so, </span>
  <em>
    <span>wrong</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He falls to his knees, suddenly, all his strength having left him. Levi, Beel, Luke and Mammon are all looking at him with big and confused eyes. “What have I done…?”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. I'll Make It Up To You</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Title references I'll Make It Up To You by Imagine Dragons.<br/>This is kind of a big deal/turning point for the series. One more chapter to go!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Chapter 8 - I'll Make It Up To You</strong>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You open your eyes, slowly. Your head is throbbing and your body feels heavy. Blinking, you recognize the soft lights of the tree above your bed—you’re in your room. For a few seconds you are confused, trying to remember how you even got here in the first place.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tsuki?” You hear Beel’s voice echoing near you, then he quickly appears in your vision above. He smiles. “Tsuki! I’m so happy you’re awake! I honestly thought you were going to </span>
  <em>
    <span>die</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Suddenly, all the memories get back to you. Luke, the tomb, the grimoire, Lucifer…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Beel?!” You sit on your bed and whine, feeling a sharp pain in the back of your head. Taking a minute to recover, you notice there’s a bandage around your neck and your clothes have been changed. “Is Luke alright? Are </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> alright? What happened?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Now in a sitting position, you can see all the other brothers minus Lucifer are present in your room. Asmo, Satan and Levi are sitting on your table while Mammon is standing near the window. They all come closer when they notice you’re awake.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine, Luke is too, Simeon came and took him back to their dorm,” Beel explains, now serious. “Don’t you remember? Lucifer attacked you…but we stopped him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really?” You are trying to remember how Lucifer attacked but nothing comes to your mind. The only memory you have is him being beyond mad, standing in front of you, before everything goes black. You don’t even remember feeling any pain; he seemed to have knocked you out instantly. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Scaryyy… Lucifer is so scary.’</span>
  </em>
  <span> Now you can understand why all of his brothers follow his every order and try (most of the time) to listen to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, we stopped him before he could do anything else to you,” Levi continues. “He wasn’t looking like himself…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, he looked like he had gone mad at the thought of the grimoire being taken away,” Mammon confirms. “Honestly, how many guts do you even have? Weren’t you afraid? He was one hundred percent going to kill you!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry…I legit thought he would never wound me…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You look down, making Mammon gasp.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, I didn’t mean it like it was your fault!” the avatar of greed quickly clarified himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“To be honest we are still very shaken too,” Satan says. When he sees he has caught your attention he continues, “After hurting you, Lucifer seemed to recover his sanity and he dropped his demon form; then he demanded us to call a doctor… Which I had already thought of doing. The doctor came sometime after and examined you while you were out. He said you had a minor concussion and should take a few days off the academy and get plenty of rest.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There's also some pain medicine he left here for you,” Asmo takes his turn. “And a prescription of what to do if you ever have any other symptoms, is all here on the table, it also has his number if you need any more clarification.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> They can be very responsible if they want to be.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re lucky you got hurt on a Sunday, now you can stay home till next Thursday or Friday,” Levi murmurs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear you say that, Levi!” Satan reprimands him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> There’s no luck in this—if anything, now you are worried about all the classes you’re going to miss. Beel comes to you with a glass of water and a medicine that’s probably for the pain. You thank him and drink it. Beel keeps watching you carefully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know, after the whole thing, Lucifer came to me and apologized.” You look at Beel with surprise and confusion. “It’s true, he was also very humble when he apologized, and he let me tell him my version of the story. I think he really regrets what he did to you, Tsuki.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Mammon drops down beside you in the bed, making you drop the stare you had fixed on Beel.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think Beel is right, not too long after Lucifer hit you, and came back to his senses, he turned all pale like, as if he had seen a ghost!” Mammon says emphatically. “Then he reverted back to his human form and looked like a total mess! He was still with us until the doctor finished looking at you, he told us to keep an eye on you and let him know when you’re awake again. But we were all going to do it anyway. Talking about it, did anyone notify Lucifer?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just sent him a text,” Levi says, looking at his D.D.D. “He visualized it but didn’t send me any answer.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You guys should check on him too,” you say, startling the brothers. They all look at you. “What? Lucifer’s your brother too, and if you guys say he regrets what he did to me, then he must be feeling bad too.” They all look at each other, as if no one can understand what you’re saying. Truth be said, you just surprised yourself too. For some unknown reason, you feel like Lucifer doesn’t deserve to dwell in regrets because of your poor life choices. Not excusing his poor anger management too. “I’m fine, really, I just have a headache.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then, I’m going to make something delicious for us to eat,” Beel says first, and he smiles at you. “Anything you may want?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> He’s so sweet. It warms your heart and you show him a timid smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anything is fine, I’m not hungry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re still not hungry?” Beel frowns. “Alright, I’ll make a special soup that you cannot resist,” he says, determined.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Beel waves and goes to the kitchen, leaving all the other brothers to you to deal with.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Mammon takes the fact that he is sitting with you on the bed to say that he’s the one who will keep you company. Levi gets jealous and starts pulling Mammon off the bed. It doesn’t take long for them to be fighting on the ground. A sigh leaves your lips. They never change.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stop it, you two!” Satan calls them out. “Tsuki is injured, be more considerate of them!” You try to tell Satan you’re fine, but Mammon and Levi are still glaring at each other. In the meantime, Asmo walks around, worried.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll check on Lucifer, then,” Asmo says, suddenly, trying to sound more confident than he currently is. “So, don’t worry about him, Tsuki. You really have a big heart, don’t you? Worrying about Lucifer’s state even after everything he did to you…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Yeah, you do have a big heart. Your big heart almost got you killed. No regrets too—if you have to step in to protect your friends again, you will. It’s a mix of your lack of self-worth and the urge to protect real friends, whom you take so long to make.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not a demon like you guys,” you deadpan.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> After a second of silence, the brothers all laugh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good to see you still have your sense of humor, Tsuki,” Satan comments. He goes to pat your head, but changes his mind halfway towards you and pats your shoulder instead, very gently, before moving to leave. “I’ll go help Beel, and make sure he won’t eat everything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If the two morons start bothering you, call us,” Asmo winks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Mammon and Levi start complaining again, but you nod to Asmo. You would kick them out without hesitation. But they ended up being good company for the rest of the night.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span> The next day, you wake feeling like trash. Your body is still heavy, like you had been hit by a car, but, thankfully, your head is better now. It’s been barely five minutes since you awake and Levi enters the room. He's in the RAD uniform and you think he has come to inform you about him and his brothers going to the academy, but Levi is staying with you today. The brothers took a game to choose who would be the lucky one to skip school and spend the day taking care of you. Since nothing you say will change the situation you only nod and get up to take a bath.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Levi stays in your room the whole day. You both watch anime for most of the time, stopping only when Levi has to go cook and when he has to get login bonus on his mobile games. You send a message to Simeon to ask him to take notes for you, after sending a really long text letting him know everything that happened yesterday and your most sincere apologies to any damage done. Simeon sends many texts back, letting you know Luke is fine and that Simeon is going to talk to Lucifer himself. You cringe at the thought, wishing Simeon the best of luck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> When Mammon and the rest get back, he hands you Simeon’s notes. They were nicely done and easy to read. You ask the demons to let you alone for a while so you can copy the notes on your notebook. Even though you stayed the whole day in bed, you still feel tired and only copy whatever you consider the most important parts and take photos of the rest, like the smart human that you are.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> On Tuesday, it’s Mammon’s turn. You suspect he has bothered his brothers enough to let him stay with you today. It doesn’t stop Satan from messaging you throughout the whole day asking if everything is fine. Surprisingly, everything goes fine. Mammon stays in your bed with you just like Levi did the previous day, and spends most of the time talking about his misadventures with witches and his job as a model. Mammon has worked and even starred on a cover of Majolish before. Asmo also works at Majolish sometimes. When you are not talking, you sleep while Mammon plays on his D.D.D. Levi goes straight to your room when he comes back from RAD and hands you today’s notes from Solomon. Dude must be pretty much perfect because his notes don’t lose anything to Simeon’s. You copy the notes while Levi and Mammon fight in your room. At least the noise doesn’t let you fall asleep.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Wednesday comes and you are </span>
  <em>
    <span>tired</span>
  </em>
  <span> of only being in your room. You are starting to feel like a prisoner now. For the first time in your whole stay here, you finally get a glimpse of the lesser demons that help take care of the house and the plants. The Little Devils are small black demons and a bit shapeless. Their heads look like they are using hats, so cute. They could be confused with rats if you weren't paying attention, and they seem to be roughly the size of adult guinea pigs. You watch three of them carefully, from the top of your bed, while they treat the plants of your room. Sadly, as soon as they see you, they quickly run away and disappear. Small shy friends, they are. You wish they could have stayed and played with you for a bit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>  Beel is the one staying today and you’re starting to miss school. For the first time since Sunday you feel fine. You want to go back to RAD tomorrow—you must tell the brothers tonight. Beel doesn’t bother you much during the morning. You two talk comfortably during the hours, till Beel lets you know he wants to make a pact with you. You are surprised, but accept. The pact leaves small tattoo-like marks on your skin with the symbol of the demon. You have one on your left shoulder from Mammon’s pact; one on your neck from Levi’s (you insisted you wanted a neck tattoo); and now a small red gluttony mark on your right arm. They are kind of nice. The tattoo marks require a conscious effort to remain hidden, which you do, making sure they remain invisible throughout the whole day. Since you lose control over the marks when you sleep, they are always visible early in the morning, after waking up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> When lunch time came you insisted on helping Beel make lunch. He didn’t want to let you, but you were starting to go crazy from only being in your room since Sunday. You two ended up making all sorts of baked goods till everyone was back at the house. Poor Satan will have to buy many ingredients to be able to cook tomorrow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> As expected, the brothers don’t want to let you go back to RAD tomorrow and beg you to rest one more day. You’re forced to give up, but Friday you </span>
  <em>
    <span>are</span>
  </em>
  <span> going back to the academy. You had a glimpse of Lucifer when you were in the kitchen. You haven't seen him since the tomb. The brothers also never mentioned him again after that. More painfully than you can admit, you’re starting to get worried about him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Later that day, after dinner, you’re lying in your bed, sleepless. You had asked Asmo about Lucifer and he hesitated to talk about it. Upon being pressed, Asmo told you he has buried himself in his work even more than before. As expected from the workaholic, he turns to his work every time he feels an emotion. Asmo also let you know that Lucifer spoke to Lord Diavolo about what happened in the tomb, but he didn’t know the details. Lord Diavolo and Barbatos had both sent you a couple texts, wishing you a good recovery, but the texts don’t acknowledge it was Lucifer who hurt you in the first place. You expect to have Diavolo ask to see you again when you’re back at RAD— there’s no way he’s happy about it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Grabbing your D.D.D, you start to mindlessly swipe between your apps. It doesn’t take much time till you’re bored. Your finger stops at Lucifer’s number. Staring at the screen, you contemplate calling him or sending a message. It’s not like you’re having nightmares again. Yet. The avatar of pride had sent a rather long and apologetic text that you still haven’t replied to because you don’t have anything good enough to tell him, aside from a short ‘I forgive you.’ You still don’t know why you even feel like forgiving him. ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>He was mad</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I had said a lot of mean things when I was angry too</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
  <em>
    <span>And done stupid things</span>
  </em>
  <span>.’ ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Well, I never endangered anyone else's life,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> the other voice in your head says. ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>But he’s a DEMON.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span> On one side, he’s a ruthless, bossy, sadistic and prideful demon. But on the other, he loves his brothers, is polite, responsible and is capable of being kind. But. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Urg</span>
  </em>
  <span>. You groan in frustration; your conflicting thoughts aren’t reaching any conclusion. If anything, your lack of anger towards Lucifer is unsettling and unexpected.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You start trying to convince yourself this is merely curiosity about how Lucifer has been coping with his actions when the D.D.D. falls flat in your face. You take it away and massage your face, damn, it hit your nose. Faint sounds of dialing reach your ear. When you glare at your D.D.D. again you see you accidentally pressed to call… Lucifer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes?” he answers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You curse in shock. Panicking, you wonder if you should turn it off, say it was a mistake or blame the D.D.D.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hi!” you say, quick and loud. “Hahaha, sorry! I was just messing around and mistakenly called you! Did I interrupt your job? The others said you were working a lot. I didn’t see you at dinner. In fact, I haven't seen you again since Sunday. Are you even ok?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You force your mouth to shut up, slapping your own hand on it, you’re doing it again, going on long ramblings every time you get too nervous. For a minute there’s nothing but silence coming from the other side of the line. Starting to get worried Lucifer hung up, you look at the D.D.D. screen—he’s still on the call. Maybe he didn’t hear you? Did the D.D.D. break from falling on your face?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You ask lots of questions…” you hear Lucifer finally. Everything in you goes full alert to pay attention to his voice. “I was working. I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>always</span>
  </em>
  <span> working, aren’t I?” You keep silent, not knowing if he expects an answer or not. He kind of sounds bitter. “Do not worry about me.” He is either bitter, tired, angry or all at once. “I thought…you wouldn’t want to see me so soon.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s not true.” You only realize you said it out loud when you hear Lucifer’s faint gasp.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Shit. Why can’t this stupid mouth of mine stay shut?!’</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that so?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Panic is getting stronger again. You try to pick your words carefully but you feel like coherent thoughts are fleeing you.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean…” you pause, sigh, and take a deep breath. “I want to talk to you face to face, about what happened. Texts or calls won’t work. I want to look at you when I ask a certain thing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Your heart is beating so fast with anticipation. The line is silent yet again until Lucifer sighs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I take it you want to talk now?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I suppose your work is more important but you’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>always</span>
  </em>
  <span> working.” You have no idea what possessed you, but you had suddenly reverted back to the you of three months ago.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck.’</span>
  </em>
  <span> Now you regret it, just like everything you regret saying when you’re angry. Why must Lucifer even summon those feelings inside of you? Why can’t you handle him just like his brothers? You must end the call, pretend it never existed and start ignoring Lucifer—you screwed up </span>
  <em>
    <span>again</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You are not wrong,” Lucifer says, scaring you out of your thoughts. He sounds…sad? “I’m going there now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Shit</span>
  </em>
  <span>.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, wait—” But he hangs up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh no. What is he even going to say now?</span>
  </em>
  <span>’ you think, nervous. You have to admit, you did ask for it. Standing from the bed, you turn up the lights and walk nervously in circles, stomach hurting from anticipation. You catch sight of the Chibi Luci doll sitting on your table and quickly hide it away under your bed. You have been sleeping with the doll recently, since it is so soft. Chibi Luci is good for punches and for snuggles, the perfect crochet doll.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> There’s a knock on the door. You can always say you changed your mind, but you do want to have this talk to him. Opening the door slowly, you peak outside. Lucifer has his arms crossed over his chest, looking at you, stoic. Getting off the door, you open it enough so he can enter. He does, without saying a single word, and stops at the middle of the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So,” you start, after closing the door and making sure you didn’t see anyone in the corridor. “I may have said something a bit </span>
  <em>
    <span>too</span>
  </em>
  <span> rude to you…” Lucifer keeps looking at you seriously. “Sorry, I wasn’t thinking.” ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Anything to clean up the mood</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
  <em>
    <span>’</span>
  </em>
  <span> “I…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s enough, I’m not angry about what you said about my job.” But he sure </span>
  <em>
    <span>looks</span>
  </em>
  <span> angry. Or is this his everyday expression? Mortal disappointment. You aren’t sure anymore. “I should be the one apologizing to you, Tsuki. I…” He looks away. “I was blind with rage and what I did was inexcusable. I should have never raised my hand against you, it was wrong and I deeply regret what I did. I'm really sorry, Tsuki. I hope you can forgive me one day.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You step closer. It's not you or the illumination, Lucifer is pale and there are new, dark bags under his eyes. Is he really overworking himself so he won't think about what he has done to you? It doesn’t feel right. You can't help but feel worried, sympathetic.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, look at me, Lucifer,” you call, calmly. It takes a moment, but Lucifer raises his eyes. “It's ok, I'm not angry at you either. I forgive you.” The words leave your mouth easier than expected. Lucifer’s shocked expression is priceless. “I have done things when I was angry that I regret too. And, I really don't want to throw out all the closeness we got recently. It would feel like a waste, and I wouldn't like it! Beel and the others told me you regretted what you did right after, and that you apologized to both Beel and Luke, I really appreciate it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Lucifer has his mouth agape; he clearly did not expect to be forgiven so soon or so easily. You take another step closer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Say Lucifer, I don't get what you said about ‘allowing a lowly human like me to pick that choice,’ the choice to pick both. I got the strangest feeling that you were speaking from experience. Am I right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Lucifer looks away again and bites his tongue. You are standing close to the demon, and had said something that surely gets under his skin, but, oddly, you are not afraid. Ever since you started standing your ground you have been feeling calmer. It also helps that Lucifer looks as much as a wreck as you do; without his coat, slightly messy hair, waist coat opened and the sleeves from his shirt rolled up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> After a long time, Lucifer moves towards your bed and sits in the middle. You eye him, curious.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It's complicated,” he says after his long pause. When you’re about to question him, he continues, “I owe a big debt to Lord Diavolo. I have always worked for him to repay this debt. But. I must also work hard for my brothers, my family’s well-being, and make sure they are happy. Their happiness is my happiness too. But sometimes, it's hard…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It's hard to be constantly picking one over the other?” you ask, knowing where he is going with that. Lucifer nods. “And I take it, by choosing one you risk doing something that may affect the other negatively?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Lucifer sighs, but nods yet again. You want to yell at him that this is ridiculous.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can't you handle both? Can't you tell your brothers the </span>
  <em>
    <span>real</span>
  </em>
  <span> deal with Diavolo so they would understand you better? Can't you tell Diavolo you're at your limit?” He doesn't reply and you're suddenly reminded of his sin, the sin of pride. Lucifer must pride himself to never ask for help, to never falter, never show vulnerability and never admit tiredness. It angers you. You sigh again, seeing Lucifer’s hesitation. “I guess there's no helping you if you don't want to be helped.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You drop yourself beside him on the bed. Lucifer has his eyes down toward the ground. For a minute, no one says anything. Now you are feeling angry. It doesn’t make any sense. The rational side of your brain must have lost the war to your heart a while ago and you didn’t realize it. ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>You really have a good heart, don’t you,</span>
  </em>
  <span>’ Asmo’s words come to your mind. It’s true. Sometimes you wish you could be colder. These demons don’t deserve you trying to solve their problems, you already have enough problems. Still, here you are. Angry at Lucifer not because he almost killed you in a moment of madness, but because you wish you could help him lift some of his burdens, and maybe, that way, he wouldn’t be on edge all the time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> The demon is the first to break the silence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I must say, you are a very perceptible human. I'm shocked at how good you are at seeing beyond my brothers’ and my walls and opening your way through them. What you just said, Lord Diavolo had told me that before too, but we’ve known each other for ages.” You take it as a compliment. “And you are also good at helping, at saying what must be said when no one else has the courage to. It is a </span>
  <em>
    <span>pain</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but it also makes you deserve respect.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> His honestly shocks you.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wow, thanks. It's the trauma,” you laugh, but Lucifer remains serious. “I mean, I had a tough life. Could be worse but…I believe we should be kind to others, if they show they deserve it. I'm also incapable of staying mad at someone who apologizes to me, it's part of my good nature,” you force a laugh. “Sorry for being a pain before, your life is hard enough too. I'll make sure I don't get in your way again, so you don't have to tear yourself so much between Lord Diavolo’s orders and your brothers again. I know Diavolo probably got all sad and worried after what happened, and you are having a hard time because of it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> There's a stagnant silence for a moment. Lucifer moves on the bed. You feel him reaching for you and you turn, in a reflex, slapping his hand away and facing him. You hope it didn’t offend him, but you murmur an apology just in case. Force of habit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, you think I'm only here to apologize and that I'm feeling regretful because of what Lord Diavolo must be thinking?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Why does he sound so offended?</span>
  </em>
  <span>’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Isn't it obvious?” you say nonchalantly, and Lucifer’s eyes widen. “Because you almost destroyed his whole exchange program?” Lucifer is looking at you with his mouth open and an incredulous expression. “I'm not mad about it. I know...”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You…you're </span>
  <em>
    <span>wrong,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” he manages. Then he opens and closes his mouth a few times, looking conflicted, like he's having an inner battle with himself. “I didn't…I mean, yes, you're one of the human exchange students, and I should look after you, but.” He stops, then looks straight into your eyes, his intensity making you shrink a little. “I only stopped my blind rage when I remembered that you…! That we had gotten close and I don't want to hurt you, I want to protect you. When I realized I had just potentially destroyed our whole relationship, I lost it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>What…is he saying? Is he for real?</span>
  </em>
  <span>’ The whole time you thought Lucifer only took responsibility for you because of the exchange program. He only put up with you because of Diavolo; he had threatened and barely listened to you for over two months. Lucifer was different from his brothers. Still. The avatar of pride looks so serious and sincere right now that you’re starting to reconsider what you believe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hum? You didn't stop because you realized you had almost ended Diavolo's…” your voice cracks and you stop. After a moment you continue, “You…actually </span>
  <em>
    <span>like</span>
  </em>
  <span> me?!” Something is boiling inside of you, a feeling so strong that it is starting to overflow. “You don't </span>
  <em>
    <span>hate</span>
  </em>
  <span> me?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> A tear breaks free and Lucifer immediately panics. Quickly, you take your hands to cover your face. You hate when people see you crying. Showing your vulnerabilities only makes you even more anxious and stressed. You’d rather die than show one of the Devildom’s most powerful demons your weakness.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> After a few seconds without being able to calm down, you feel Lucifer hold both of your shoulders, his touch gentle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why are you crying?” He sounds so worried; his voice is low and careful. “Of course I don't hate you! Sure, you can be a handful, and you do know how to get on my nerves, but, I never hated you.” You hiccup, crying harder. “I </span>
  <em>
    <span>don't</span>
  </em>
  <span> hate you,” the demon repeats, louder and firmer this time. “I want to be closer to you, Tsuki. Tsuki, look at me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Trying to calm yourself, you furiously clean the tears away and take deep breaths. Your heart feels like it's going to explode and all you want is to dig a hole and bury yourself, so you don’t need to stand for this embarrassment. ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Why am I even crying about it?’</span>
  </em>
  <span> You don’t know if those tears are from relief or something else.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Slowly, you raise your head to look at Lucifer. His expression is so painfully worried, it hurts you.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aren't I a bother?” You cry before Lucifer has the chance to say what he wants to. “I always feel like I am a bother, to everyone….” The hot tears are scrolling down your face again. “I feel like I'm not wanted anywhere I go, and I always bring trouble to everyone I meet. I don't like my own personally, I hate how anxious I am. I, I…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> The tears and the hiccups don't stop coming, making you unable to continue, your cries getting louder. Sure, in the beginning, you </span>
  <em>
    <span>decided</span>
  </em>
  <span> to be a bother to the demons on purpose, as revenge for being forced into this exchange program. But that’s something that always makes you uncomfortable: feeling that you’re a bother. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Knowing</span>
  </em>
  <span> you are a bother. You’d resigned yourself to belonging nowhere, sure the demons will just get rid of you when you’re no longer necessary for this whole thing. It makes your stomach hurt and leaves you sleepless at night. A powerless human lost in the middle of the scary demons. You don’t want to keep going like that. Maybe that’s why you’re crying, releasing all the pent-up stress. The anxiety, the loneliness, the anger, the stress, the fear, it’s all overflowing.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span> All of a sudden, you feel Lucifer's hands urging you to get closer. Before you realize it, he has put you in a tight embrace, your face pressed against his chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You are not a bother,” Lucifer starts. His voice is just above a whisper, close to your ear. “Please don't say those horrible things about yourself again. You are wanted here, all my brothers like you </span>
  <em>
    <span>so much</span>
  </em>
  <span>, do you have any idea how strongly they went against me back at the tomb?” He stops for a minute when you give a sob. You feel him stiffen, as if he doesn't know exactly what to do. Lucifer tentatively pats you on the back after a moment. “They haven't gone against me for anything for so many years… But you manage to make them all defy me again. That is proof of how much they care about you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Lucifer’s words only make you cry harder, remembering how the demon brothers all cared about you after the incident, how they took turns to comfort you, make you feel safe and happy. You like them too, a lot, they are all your friends now. Your grip on Lucifer's back gets stronger and you let all the tears dampen his clothes, giving up on trying to hold them back. You can’t hold them back anymore. You are feeling too many things to be able to pick them apart.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I care about you too, Tsuki,” Lucifer admits, after a long pause. He moves again so you two are even closer. A hand moves to stroke your hair, gently, while the other is firmly pressed on your back, keeping you in place. “I'm here with you, ok? You are safe, I promise I won't hurt you ever again, so please, don't feel like it's all your fault. You're not the one to blame.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You move your head, nodding. You need to show him you’re listening as you cling close to the demon as if your life depends on it. Lucifer keeps on stroking your head and your back with soft movements. He has a calming aura that is starting to make you relax. You don't remember for how long you cried in his chest, sitting on the bed. At one point, you fall asleep in Lucifer’s arms.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  Waking up, you feel your head hurting again and the feeling of tiredness. You snuggle in the bed, but, suddenly, you feel a body close to you. Opening your eyes and looking ahead, you can discern Lucifer's figure lying close to you. Confusion takes over for a minute. After remembering about last night, you can tell why your head hurts: you cried yourself to sleep. And Lucifer is still here with you. Embarrassment rises as you remember how much you cried right in front of the demon. However, you're still feeling too tired to care about it. Closing your eyes again, you try to remember Lucifer’s words. You had gone full self-depreciative and let all your fears emerge. But Lucifer told you you are wanted and loved and he cares about you too. Sleep comes easy, for once.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> When you wake up again, it is because Lucifer has just moved. You are still so very close to his body. Your arms are around him, just like his arms are around yours, and your legs are also tangled together. You pull just a little so you can raise your head enough to look at him. Lucifer moves slightly too and looks down at you.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good morning, Tsuki.” He says, still looking very sleepy. “Did you sleep well?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You take a moment to think. Everything is still so foggy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think so.” Your voice sounds more hoarse than normal. “You sleep here…?” It’s kind of a stupid question now that you have said it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn't want to leave you alone,” Lucifer says, brushing some hair off your face. You stare at his light movements for a while.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t expect you to be any good at comforting people,” you comment, still replaying the events of last night in your head. Hopefully it doesn't offend him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I do have a rather extensive experience with mothering my brothers,” he says, sighing right after, his expression heavy with fatigue. It does make sense, you think. He does act like the head of this dysfunctional demonic family. “By the way, I woke up a while ago and I think my brothers must be getting ready for RAD by now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Oh right, today is academy day too. Your room is still so dark you can’t tell what time it should be.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I want to go back to RAD again…” you whisper into your pillow. Never once did you think you would say such words.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tomorrow,” Lucifer decides arbitrarily. You resist the urge to roll your eyes. “But don't worry, I'll stay with you today.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wh…what?!” You pull a little away again so you can get a better look at him, suddenly feeling very awake.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Lucifer chuckles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn't finish my job yesterday, remember? All thanks to my very emotive human.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But… Wouldn't you miss classes?!” You try hard to ignore how he had said ‘my’ human.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you think I can't afford to miss some classes?” he says, smugly. “I just need to call Diavolo to let him know I won't be attending RAD. Luckily, I don't think I have any important meetings today.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You stare at him in shock. Lucifer is willing to stay with you today. Feeling your heart getting warm, you almost break down crying again. He really does care...he likes you too. Because you were too focused on your first impressions, you never noticed when he started to show signs that he might like you as a person, and didn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>only</span>
  </em>
  <span> put up with you out of duty. Lucifer takes a hand and strokes your face, just under your left eye. His hand is so warm, you wish he would use his pesky gloves </span>
  <em>
    <span>less</span>
  </em>
  <span>. You like the way his bare skin caresses your skin. He must have taken off his gloves when he went to sleep.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your eyes are swollen and red. Get in the bathroom and stay here.” When you raise your eyebrows he sighs and explains, “I'll go ahead and tell my brothers I'll be staying inside with you today. I'm sure at least one of them will come to confront you about it and I don't want them to see you have been crying.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, right, they would get worried and overreact, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Lucifer sighs again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Precisely. I'm glad you understand.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You nod. Lucifer gets out of the bed first. He straightens his clothes and goes to your bathroom for a minute. You leave the bed when Lucifer returns and goes out. Knowing your luck, you half expect shouting from the hallway from some passerby who happens to see Lucifer leaving your room in the morning. But it seems Lucifer is luckier than you, because you hear nothing. Above your nightstand, you notice he forgot his gloves. You feel like hiding them or throwing them out, but knowing Lucifer, he must have hundreds of black gloves, so you just leave them here. You can return them later.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Grabbing a change of clothes, you lock yourself in your bathroom. Looking at your reflection, you see that Lucifer is right: your eyes are puffy and red. You also look like a mess. Your face is swollen and your hair is going in all directions. How didn’t he jump away when you were the first thing he saw in the morning? Sighing, you take your clothes off so you can take a shower. It’s at this exact moment Mammon decides to yell your name.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oi! Tsuki! Where are you? What is this idea?”</span>
</p><p>
  
  <em>
    <span>Tsk</span>
  </em>
  <span>. The idiot is fast.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I'm in the bathroom, Mammon!” you yell back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why did Lucifer say he slept here? In your room? And why is he staying here today? I didn't even know he was capable of skipping classes!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Same.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Calm down, Mammon,” you yell again. “I called Lucifer here, to talk. We sorted out our problems and we're fine now, so there's nothing to be worried about. And we just…fell asleep after chatting on my bed, that's all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>That's all?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” he inquires skeptically. Honestly, why is he so adamant? “And why don't you open the door?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I'm naked, Mammon.” You hear him shriek on the other side and laugh to yourself. “I'm going to take a bath and change. So. Just go to RAD already! Or you’ll be late.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tsk, fine, fine! But I can't wait to hear about everything that happened between you and Lucifer when I'm back!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine!” You give up. After hearing Mammon reluctantly take his leave, you finally step into the shower.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span> Feeling better after the bath, you go to have breakfast with Lucifer. He has already changed to his usual casual clothes and is calmly taking coffee and replying to messages on his D.D.D. when you enter the dining room. Both of you eat in a comfortable silence, and when you’re done, Lucifer goes to clean the dishes. The demon informs you he’ll spend the day at his study, working, and you’re free to hang out there (as long you don’t touch anything). You decide to grab a book to read while Lucifer works. Normally he leaves the study locked even when he’s here, but since it is just the two of you, he leaves the door open.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You spend most of the morning either texting the other brothers or reading. You finish the book around lunch time and ask Lucifer if he minds getting lunch early. Lucifer agrees and the two of you leave for the kitchen. It is rare for Lucifer to cook, as he prefers to stick with the cleaning duty. His brothers had said he likes to clean the house later at night when it is more peaceful. You sit by the kitchen table, watching him cook. Lucifer is very skilled. He had asked what you wanted to eat but you blanked so hard the only response you gave him was “pasta.” The avatar of pride surprises you with the Devildom version of spaghetti with meatballs, and it is delicious.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Back at the study, you sleep for a while on the same armchair you sat in before. The hours seem to drag. Bored, you use the opportunity to take a better look at the study. The small and cozy room has a lot of interesting stuff. Some shelves are filled with big and colorful vials, and the higher shelves have thick books that look a few centuries old. That fireplace looks enchanted as well. It’s always burning with a low fire, never too hot or too cold. There is a photorealistic painting over the fireplace of a black puppy with three heads and glowing orange eyes—Cerberus, the infamous pet dog of Lucifer. The demon brothers had commented that the dog is apparently some terrifying creature who only listens to Lucifer and is so powerful that the demons are as afraid of it as they are of Lucifer. The dog is kept locked somewhere in the house. In this painting, however, it looks just like a cute (and a bit scary) puppy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Thanks to Lucifer’s insistence to ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>not touch anything,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> you are certain the most powerful and dangerous demoniac items should be in this place, conveniently locked away from Lucifer’s brothers. The Diavolo doll has been placed on the center of another shelf, but it still looks ridiculously out of place. There are two stairwells to a second part of the study. When you ask Lucifer about the above floor, he simply says it has some more old artifacts and books and is connected to his room and the tomb. How, you do not know. Magic, probably.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> In the middle of the afternoon, you leave the study to grab some snacks and coffee. You learned both you and Lucifer enjoy the same brand of coffee—the darkest, strongest one—so you brew some for both of you. Feeling reckless, you serve Lucifer’s coffee in a blue “N°1 Dad” cup that is more than likely a prank gift to him. However, he barely bats an eye at the cup. You also leave a small tray of cookies for him on top of his table. While you have your snacks, you heard Lucifer munch on one or two cookies.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Catching sight of a beautiful flower from the window, you go to grab some flowers from the garden after leaving the dirty dishes in the kitchen sink. You find a small transparent vase in the back of one of the kitchen cabinets and put some water in it. Back at the study you leave the vase with the bright blue flowers on the small center table. Lucifer doesn’t comment on them, only stating you have been walking around a lot today.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Boredom washes over you again and you decide maybe it’s a good idea to force Lucifer to have a break.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey Lucifer, can I ask you a question?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is already a question,” he replies instantly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks for letting me know, smartass,” you bark at him, causing Lucifer to snort. He tells you to mind your language. Forgetting the permission, you go straight for the question. “I was just wondering, Diavolo told me it was you who picked me for the exchange program, and I want to know why you chose me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah…” Looks like you caught him off guard, as he suddenly hesitates. “So, he told you this? Very well, it was by luck, actually. Random.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You picked me at random?” you scream in disbelief.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not exactly by random, you see,” Lucifer clears his throat. “It was in this study too. I came back from RAD with over a hundred files and I was supposed to pick one. Diavolo had selected those files from even more files. Unfortunately, I stumbled on the carpet and everything flew away from my hands. Yours was the first one I got. I read it briefly and thought ‘this one looks fit, practices sports, speaks two languages, finished college, and knows self-defense.’ I left it separated on the table and processed to grab the others and read through them. But, in the end, I didn't select a lot of files to consider and decided to go with the first one.” You remain silent for a while, processing the information. “Are you disappointed?” He has a smirk on his face now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can't be disappointed if I didn't know what I expected,” you answer sincerely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Lucifer hums. He eats another cookie that was left forgotten on his plate and drinks some water. You still find it hard to believe he chose you so randomly like that. Looks like he didn’t care much about what kind of human he and Diavolo were going to kidnap anyway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I want to ask something of you too, Tsuki,” Lucifer says, taking you out of your daydream. You respond with a surprised “Uh?” and Lucifer decides to go ahead and ask, “Why do you have a doll of me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Wait, what</span>
  </em>
  <span>.’ How does he know? Does he really know </span>
  <em>
    <span>everything</span>
  </em>
  <span>?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Chibi Luci?! When did you see him?” you ask in a panic.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Lucifer blinks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“’Chibi Luci’? It has a </span>
  <em>
    <span>name</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” he says, shocked, and you gulp. “Lord Diavolo has one too, of course, he was excited to show me the doll.” He stops here to sigh. “He mentioned you had one too.” DIAVOLO! Of course, it was him, how could you even forget he would fawn all over his Lucifer doll to Lucifer himself. “And I also saw it Sunday, it was on your bed when we brought you here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh</span>
  </em>
  <span>.’ You had forgotten Lucifer was also present when the doctor came to examine you.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Without taking too long, you explain how Mephistopheles basically tried to scam you into buying two of his crochet dolls. You excluded the part where Satan lent you money to buy it in exchange for punching the doll. He only punched it once anyway. Lucifer didn't look surprised about Mephisto’s antics.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn't see it in your room yesterday.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Err…” you hesitate for a moment, “I hid it so you wouldn't see…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why?” You look at him and Lucifer looks just curious.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don't know. I thought you wouldn't like it? Or maybe you would think something weird.” You trail off and luckily Lucifer doesn't press the matter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As long as you're not planning some voodoo with it, it's your doll, you can do whatever you want with it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wouldn't use a doll so cute for voodoo!” Lucifer raises his eyebrows at you. “I mean! I wouldn't do </span>
  <em>
    <span>any</span>
  </em>
  <span> voodoo to you, Lucifer!” He stares for a minute, then drops the issue.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was thinking of getting dolls like that of your brothers too,” you comment, since you are still on this topic, “so I could have something to remember of y'all when I go back home.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Lucifer hums. When you look at him, he has his attention turned to his papers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you want to, I'll lend money for it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> There's nothing wrong with getting some more chibi dolls, right? They are all cute, maybe Lucifer is weak to their cuteness. ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>LOL no way.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span> The silence comes back. You check the time and there's only one more hour left until the brothers come back home. You think about calling Lucifer to start preparing for dinner early, but decide against it and let him work. Some minutes pass by. You're playing with your D.D.D. when Lucifer calls you.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tsuki, Lord Diavolo wants to see you tomorrow before classes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay.” You expected this much. You set your alarm for forty minutes earlier than the usual. “Leave breakfast to me tomorrow, I'm itching to cook again. I want to make lots of pancakes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tsuki,” Lucifer calls again, and you look at him. “I'll accompany you tomorrow, I'm having a meeting with Diavolo after yours.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You nod, then bring your eyes back to your D.D.D.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tsuki.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Turning on the armchair, you face him properly. Lucifer has a serious but neutral expression in his face and you can't tell what must be going on in his head. He looks straight at you for a while and you stare back at him. Your heartbeat increases with anxiety and curiosity.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you want to eat for dinner?” </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ah</span>
  </em>
  <span>. You thought it was going to be something more serious.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Steak?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> He seems to consider it. Does the fridge even have some steak? You feel mortified to not know how the groceries are currently, and can’t wait to go back to the kitchen and cook properly. Yesterday with Beel was a beginning, but you only cooked desserts together. </span>
</p><p>
  <span> You keep looking at him this time, but Lucifer has already dropped his eyes to face his papers. You leave him be. Not even five minutes pass and you hear the sound of paper scattering and a pen dropping. You turn back to Lucifer, startled, just in time to see a piece of paper falling to the ground. The demon has his eyes closed and a hand massaging his forehead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I'm sorry, this isn't what I wanted to ask.” Your attention rises again. “Are you…are you fine with me, right now?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Your eyebrows arch in confusion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course? I wouldn't be here if I wasn't fine with staying close to you,” you tell him, voice firm, setting the D.D.D. aside.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I see. I just. Got worried if you...”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let's forget about that,” you offer and Lucifer opens his eyes to face you. “Let's just forget…about that whole thing, Lucifer...and move on. What's done is done.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> He stares at you for what feels like a long time but wouldn't be more than one or two minutes. You don't like dwelling in the past, the future is already scary enough. You’d rather spend all that anxiety over the next few months than worry about last Sunday. He regrets it, he apologized, and you forgive him, that's enough. Lucifer’s gaze sets on your neck for a few seconds before going back to your face. There's just a small dark bruise there now. It didn't bleed again and has healed nicely so far. After his long period thinking, Lucifer sighs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you insist, I'll leave it behind, just like you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks. I don't want to stress about it any longer.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Lucifer nods in agreement and you fall back silent on your chair. He goes to clean the mess on his table. When you think about leaving, Lucifer calls you to help him cook, and he ends up making steak.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you to everyone who is reading this story ;'')</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing by Set It Off (feat William Beckett).</p><p>This is the last chapter of Part 1, yay!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Chapter 9 - Wolf In Sheep's Clothing</strong>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The alarm rings three times before you are able to leave the bed. It’s still so dark outside. Changing into your uniform, you take your bag and go to the kitchen. Sometimes you wish Beel wouldn’t eat so much, so you don’t need to make food for a hundred people. When you finish making the table, you are more or less in time. The first brother to appear is, shockingly, Lucifer. He looks as sleepy as you. You two eat in a comfortable silence. You steal some glances at him. He's eating while texting on his D.D.D., looking extremely sleepy. During the night, you were sleeping snuggled to Chibi Luci and could swear someone stroked your hair. When you opened your eyes there was no one there, but in the morning, you notice the same vase with the blue flowers you left in Lucifer’s study is now in your room in the middle of the table. Just as you gather enough courage to ask Lucifer, Satan appears, yawning.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh? I thought I was on cooking duty today,” Satan comments upon seeing the table full with food.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have to leave earlier to meet with Diavolo so I took the liberty of making breakfast,” you say with a mouth full of pancakes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I see. Thanks,” he sits down and starts eating. “I take it you’re fine enough to go back to RAD today?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, thanks for asking,” you smile at him, silently praying he won’t question it any longer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You hear the other brothers coming and quickly stand up, asking Lucifer if he would accompany you to the academy already. He nods and you try to leave before Mammon throws a fit again. You barely manage to escape the avatar of greed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The walk to RAD is peaceful. You are feeling free. Free from the oppressing and melancholy house. There was a time when you dreaded going to the academy, but now it feels so much better than staying locked in your room all day. Lucifer doesn’t say a word till you’re both close to the student council building.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lord Diavolo will want to talk about Sunday.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I know,” you shrug. When you glance at Lucifer, you see he has a troubled expression. “What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing,” he says, looking ahead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did Diavolo say anything to you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>He did.’</span>
  </em>
  <span> Thinking about the last time you had a meeting with Diavolo, it was also after a big deal with Lucifer. You never considered whether Diavolo kept his mouth shut about that one breakdown. Stopping to think about it, that might be another reason why Lucifer got so worried when you cried. Unfortunately, Lucifer decides he is not in the mood to talk anymore and heads straight for Diavolo’s office.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll be waiting outside,” he declares in front of the student council president office. You wonder if he’s able to listen behind a door. His brothers sure could.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You nod to him and open the door, getting a loud ‘Wait!’ from Lucifer, probably because you didn’t knock. Inside, Barbatos and Diavolo are talking, but they both stop at the sight of you and Barbatos politely leaves. Diavolo moves to his chair and tells you to sit as well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tsuki, it’s good to see you again.” ‘It’s good to see you again </span>
  <em>
    <span>alive,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> is what you understood. Diavolo is off today. He isn’t smiling. Instead, he has a frown and his posture is stiff. “Lucifer told me about what happened Sunday, in the Underground Tomb. I also had the chance to talk to Luke and Simeon. How are you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You consider your answer for a moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I spent two days feeling bad, with strong headaches, but I am all fine now,” you say, making yourself at home in his office. “If you already talked with Lucifer and Luke about Sunday, I don’t think there’s anything else I need to address…aside from my stubbornness in not moving out of Lucifer’s way when he looked ready to kill me, I guess.” Diavolo’s frown deepens at that. “To be fair, I was one hundred percent sure he was incapable of hurting me. Looks like I underestimated his anger… But yesterday Lucifer and I sorted out our problems and we are fine now, so you don’t have to worry about it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>  Diavolo moves uncomfortably in his chair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you two good now for real? I remember the last time you were here; it was also after a fight with Lucifer.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, we really need to stop meeting after something terrible happens to me, Lord Diavolo!” you laugh nervously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> However, the prince of Devildom does not laugh. It is starting to feel weird, being the one with good humor inside this room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We really need to,” Diavolo agrees with his worried expression. “It was my idea to bring you here so I feel responsible for your wellbeing. Even if you tell me to not worry, I’ll worry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> He really is a nice dude. You look away, feeling bad. Diavolo must have thousands of problems; you don’t want to be another one.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“About what we talked about last time, you wanted to move dorms… Do you still wish to?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You quickly snap your gaze back to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No?” His eyes widen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Wait, is this why Lucifer was acting a bit off just now? You </span>
  <em>
    <span>knew </span>
  </em>
  <span>Diavolo told him everything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I got used to living here. The six brothers are all loud and annoying, but I like them all a lot,” you admit. “They like me too; they take good care of me. And after the talk I had with Lucifer I think we’ll be okay too. So no, I don’t feel like leaving the House of Lamentation anymore.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Diavolo's mouth goes open and he just stares at you, shocked. After a moment he recovers himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That is great news!” He finally forms a small smile. “You see, Tsuki, I never wanted you to face any hardships when I sent you to the House of Lamentation, I just thought it would be the safest place for you to stay and a great opportunity to make the demon brothers more accepting of humans. It pleases me that you have adjusted well and befriended the brothers, all of them.” He gets serious, suddenly. “Is there any other issue you would like to tell me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You think for a moment, but nothing comes to your mind.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, nothing. I’m hoping things will finally calm down now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> The demon looks deep into your eyes, looking for something. After a minute he smiles again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wonderful. I’m hoping things calm down for you as well. And don’t forget to let me know if anything ever happens again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ok, Lord Diavolo, I promise.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> He wishes you a good return to the studies and you leave his office. Lucifer observes you when you’re out, but he enters Diavolo’s office without talking. You politely (and insistently) refuse Barbatos’s company and go straight to your classroom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Later, back at the House of Lamentation, all the demon brothers invade your room to have a meeting (as usual, your room being their favorite hangout spot). They bother you to no end about sleeping with Lucifer, but, at the end of the night, they are all just glad about you making up with their older brother.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>  The next week is a calm one, thankfully. But on the weekend, the retreat is supposed to happen. An event at the Demon Lord’s Castle, where humans, demons and angels are expected to get a better understanding of each other.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Mammon is all excited over it, even though he wasn’t a fan of the idea a few weeks back. You and the demon brothers arrive a bit before the angels and Solomon. You are all sorted into dorms, and luckily you get to room with Simeon and Asmo. It could be so much worse. If you got sent to the same room as Mammon and Levi, for example, it would be total chaos.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Barbatos explains the retreat dynamics. The beginning activity is a tour of the castle, followed by supper which will consist of devildom specialties prepared by Barbatos himself. The demon brothers get excited since the butler of Diavolo must cook really well. The next day will be a scavenger hunt. Tomorrow’s supper will be from the Celestial Realm, to be prepared by Simeon and Luke. A dance will follow dinner. On the last day, lunch will be human cuisine and you and Solomon will be in charge of the cooking. The demon brothers get all excited again. You blush a little at their compliments about your cooking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> The tour consists of listening to Barbatos and Diavolo talk about the story of the castle and about every single painting on the walls. It starts out really interesting, but quickly turns tiresome. You take advantage of a minor discussion about Devildom history between Satan and Barbatos and get closer to Solomon. You tap him on the shoulder to get his attention.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey Solomon, I heard you have a pact with Asmodeus,” you whisper next to him, and Solomon nods. “I was thinking of taking advantage of the fact I’ll be sharing a room with him to try to get his pact. Do you have any tips for me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, that’s a smart thing to do. Let me see…” Solomon gets pensive for a moment. Satan and Barbatos are still arguing about who knows more Devildom history and all the others are bored and looking at their D.D.Ds. Not even Diavolo is trying to stop them anymore. “I think I know how to help you. Asmo likes powerful people, you know. And since you already have pacts with three of his brothers, if you can summon him, I’m sure he will consider making a pact with you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is it that easy? Is what you did?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Solomon laughs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No. But I am sure you may have some magic potential. Everyone has a bit of magic in them, and what’s the best way to find out how much if not by summoning a powerful demon?” He winks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hum. I see, I think you may be right.” You always wanted to try to summon a demon anyway, it sounds fun. “Which gives me an idea, let’s make a deal, Solomon. If I can make a pact with Asmo before the retreat ends, you’ll have to teach me how to summon the other demons too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Deal,” he agrees immediately. “After all, we humans have to stick together.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You two trade some knowing winks, moments before Lucifer calls you both to follow the group. Looks like Barbatos and Satan have finally reached an agreement. While walking behind the group, Solomon tells you the details of the summoning process. It’s much more interesting than the talk about paintings and dead rulers.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span> It is so </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> fun. Asmo’s ex-lover or something does some </span>
  <em>
    <span>wack</span>
  </em>
  <span> magic shit and you end up in the castle labyrinth (‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>WHY does it even have a labyrinth to begin with?</span>
  </em>
  <span>’). It isn’t so bad, you have Asmo, Levi, Mammon and Solomon too, until Henry 1.0 appears. A giant snake. You like snakes, but not massive and aggressive hell snakes. In the end, Solomon forces Asmo to charm the snake and everyone returns to the castle safely. But before you can make for your guest room, Lucifer asks for you, specifically. You follow him to another corridor so you can speak privately. It’s also a nice and dark place to kill someone, you think, mind wandering to the previous incidents. This castle is dangerous. The demon coughs, loudly, to try to get your attention.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did I do something?” you ask, unsure. If anything, you feel like a victim so far.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, did you do something that is weighing your conscience?” he says seriously. Still, he doesn't really give you time to answer. “I only want to warn about something. Beware of Solomon.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Excuse me?” When he said he wanted to warn you, the only thoughts you had were of the other demons or maybe getting lost in the massive castle. Who knows what other horrors may be hidden away in these fancy walls, rooms and corridors? Well, the Demon King </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> sleeping here, somewhere, and knowing your luck, you could wake him up by accident. “You mean, just like I should be wary of you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘just like me’</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Lucifer takes a hand to his chest, offended. Satan does the same thing when he’s irritated, but the avatar of wrath uses the other hand. “Are you saying I’m on the same level as some</span>
  <em>
    <span> sorcerer?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span> Oh boy, he is mad. Aren’t you supposed to beware of all demons? Isn’t that just to be expected? You are talking to someone who tried to murder you, after all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I mean just in general.” His brows furrow, clearly not happy. “Why are you saying that all of a sudden?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Lucifer lets out a loud “</span>
  <em>
    <span>tsk,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” but he moves on anyway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I noticed you have been getting closer to him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, we are both humans.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, but you two are hardly similar. Solomon is a smart and astute sorcerer. He always has something up to his sleeve. I merely want you to not be too trusting of him, as we may never know what is going on in his mind.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Interesting. Would never guess you, of all demons, to be cautious of a human, Lucifer.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> The avatar of pride crosses his arms, his expression annoyed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you mocking me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“By no means! In fact, I think that’s very admirable of you!” Lucifer lets himself show a surprised expression. “If you can take a human seriously, even if it’s a sorcerer, then you’re not as arrogant as you look.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> His expression twists in anger again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You </span>
  <em>
    <span>are</span>
  </em>
  <span> mocking me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not, I swear!” You raise your hands in a surrender gesture. “It actually makes me respect you more.” Lucifer watches you carefully, seemingly torn between wanting to believe in you and refusing your claims. “Besides, you don’t have to worry about it, I don’t trust Solomon one bit. In fact, I don’t trust any of you demons either. The only person I trust completely here is myself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Lucifer lets out a low chuckle. Your words seem to please him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As you should. As smart as you are.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that a compliment I heard? From </span>
  <em>
    <span>The Lucifer</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t ruin it,” he warns, with a serious expression. “You may go now. Good to know that you do respect me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I always respected you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You went up the stairs.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Ouch</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He’s never going to forget it.</span>
  </em>
  <span>’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, I admit, I disobeyed you once.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>  Lucifer observes you intensely for a minute.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hopefully it was just once.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You show him a crooked smile, starting to feel nervous. But the demon only frowns. Seeing that is probably all, you wave him goodbye and carefully make your way to your room, hoping not to get lost.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span> Later that night, you spend some time talking to Simeon and Asmo. You remind Asmo to try to keep himself polite since he’s in the presence of an ace and an angel. You feel like you made a big mistake when Simeon asks you what an ace is, but luckily, he’s pretty open minded and gets the grasp of asexuality pretty quickly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span> After dinner, you pull Asmo to a corner to talk to him without Simeon listening.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, I think your power may actually be useful at times,” you start.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks?” Asmo looks at you confused. “What are you after? You never compliment me and you had, actually, scolded me since we met Helen.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wow, you are intelligent too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Haha. I can finally see why you fight so much with Lucifer. So rude, Tsuki!” He gets angry. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Asmo actually gets angry</span>
  </em>
  <span>. That’s quite a sight; he looks so ugly with his angry expression. “You only valorize my amazing abilities after seeing them first hand? Is that it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If I say ‘no’ I would be lying,” you admit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmph. Can’t say I hate your honesty,” Asmo looks at you carefully. “What do you want?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m tired of being useless and I want demon powers,” you say, as vaguely as you can.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, so seeing Solomon in action makes you consider learning more about demon magic? Bet you’re thinking of making a pact with me too, then. I mean, who doesn't want a piece of me? Hahaha.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You resist the urge to roll your eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Exactly. I’m glad we are both on the same page.” ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>And I kind of want to free Belphegor too just to see what happens.’</span>
  </em>
  <span> “I also think I would get Lucifer’s respect easier this way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why do you want Lucifer’s respect?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why wouldn’t I want it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Asmo thinks for a moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re right. Well, since we are on the topic of Lucifer,” he smiles evilly, “if you bring me a photo of Lucifer sleeping, I’ll make a pact with you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Pff, that’s easy! Hardly a challenge!” You laugh. Then you remember your deal with Solomon and your smile drops.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really? Mammon tried once and it ended horribly,” Asmo laughs. “Good luck.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>  ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>  Mammon invades the room right after and you turn to the idiot. A plan starts forming in your head.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span> Your plan didn’t work. At all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> In theory, it should have worked. You asked Barbatos to make a quick tour through the dorms because you were getting lost—not a total lie. He does and shows you Lucifer’s room. The plan is simple: invade Lucifer’s room in the middle of the night to take a photo of him and run away. Also, bring Mammon along and use him as bait. If anything bad happens, you can blame him. Karma is a bitch apparently. At three in the morning, you meet with Mammon. Levi and Beel decide to come along for some reason. Unfortunately, thanks to your eagerness, you didn’t think of the most important part: Lucifer is always one step ahead. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Always</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> The doorknob leads to Cerberus’s room. You almost die just by looking at the terrifying three-headed dog. Luckily, you escape with the brothers. However, your bad luck hasn’t ended yet and you meet Henry 1.0 </span>
  <em>
    <span>again</span>
  </em>
  <span>. What an exciting retreat. You don’t think twice and summon Asmodeus. Everyone, including you, is shocked by it. It actually worked. You urge Asmo to enchant Henry 1.0 again. Though very sleepy, he does it and all of you manage to escape and hide in your dorms again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span> By morning, a very angry looking Lucifer is glaring at everyone at the table. He’s standing there looking menacing while the demons, humans and the angels are just trying to eat some breakfast before Diavolo comes to drag you all into some activity (‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>what are we even going to do today, again?</span>
  </em>
  <span>’). </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I noticed someone tried to enter my room last night,” the avatar of pride says, slowly and lowly, meeting everyone’s eyes. He didn’t even need all of this suspense; the only ones who are clearly sleepy are you, Mammon, Asmo, Levi and Beel. He’s faced with silence. “So, no one is going to assume their fault? I put a spell on my doorknob expecting Mammon to try to enter my room to do something awful, and looks like I was right to do it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> It’s always Mammon’s fault, isn’t it?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mammon, just admit you tried to prank Lucifer again,” Levi says, bored.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What, what?!” Mammon glares at him. “It’s not MY fault this time! I swear.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Sighing, you decide to not let them eat each other alive in someone else's house. You raise your hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, it was me,” you say, facing the fine porcelain of your plate.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Lucifer gasps and you peek at him. His change is visible: his shoulders drop and his mouth and eyes are wide open. His hand is on his chest again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was you?! Why did you do it?!” He is slightly panicking. You blink at it. He’s starting to care about your safety instead of just making sure you’re still alive at the end of the day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“First things first: I would have </span>
  <em>
    <span>never</span>
  </em>
  <span> done it if I knew it would take me to your </span>
  <em>
    <span>adorable</span>
  </em>
  <span> dog,” you start, looking at him annoyed. “Second: Asmo challenged me to wake you up and prank both you and Diavolo and I told him ‘I ain’t no chicken.’”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“WHAT!” Asmo raises up, banging his hands on the table. “THEY ARE LYING!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think so!” Simeon chirped in from his place on the table. He, Luke and Solomon were watching the whole mess in silence. This is just standard House of Lamentation mess, but boy, is it weird to be judged by your colleagues. Solomon and Simeon are surely amused by the chaos. Luke has big and worried eyes, however. “Last night I saw Asmo and Tsuki whispering around. I even heard when Asmo told them ‘Good luck.’”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Asmo gasps and starts getting pale.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>
    <em>Asmodeus,</em>
  </b>
  <span>” Lucifer growls. “Once we get back home, you’ll be </span>
  <em>
    <span>punished</span>
  </em>
  <span> for it,” he warns.   </span>
</p><p>
  <span> You sigh again. Asmo doesn’t deserve it, everything’s your fault. You tried to save Mammon from punishment but it looks like someone will be punished regardless.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please don’t punish Asmo,” you ask, voice low, pleading to Lucifer. The avatar of pride raises a brow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh? Give me one reason why I shouldn’t.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because Asmo saved me.” You smile when Lucifer’s expression changes to shock. “After I ran away from Cerberus, I ended up trapped by Henry again, but I was able to summon Asmo after watching Solomon do it and he came to charm the snake.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Lucifer stared at you for a second before turning to Asmo. The avatar of lust nods furiously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I see… So, he helped you,” Lucifer mutters pensively. His expression goes back to his normal anger after a minute. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Still</span>
  </em>
  <span>, you will be punished for the possibility of tempting Tsuki into danger, but I’ll lighten your punishment thanks to Tsuki’s claims.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Asmo looks like he’s going to cry. He reaches for your hands and thanks you several times. Eh, you really want to finish this exchange without knowing Lucifer’s punishments. The more you hear about them the more disgusting they become.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But also!” Lucifer yells, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Why </span>
  </em>
  <span>are you three also sleepy?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was gaming last night, obviously.” Levi has a lot of cold blood to lie straight to his brother’s face like that. Maybe the fact that he is too busy gaming on his console helps.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The bed wasn’t comfortable like my own bed so I stayed up late eating my snacks,” Beel says, looking away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Lucifer seems to have believed both of them. As soon as his gaze falls on Mammon, the avatar of greed starts panicking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was… Uh…” He looks around, trying frantically to think of something.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He wanted to sleep with Tsuki last night!” Simeon calls out again. He really </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> enjoying his morning.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Technically, it wasn’t a lie. Lucifer’s eyes narrow and he growls.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ll be punished too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why? Tsuki kicked me out!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just because,” Lucifer says, crossing his arms. He looks at all of his brothers and you again. “Better </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> create any more problems for the rest of the retreat. Or I’ll just punish </span>
  <em>
    <span>everyone</span>
  </em>
  <span> when we get back home.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Even me?</span>
  </em>
  <span>’</span>
</p><p>
  <span> The five demon brothers and you all nod. Even Satan, who was the only one who did absolutely nothing. Things calmed down after the breakfast, and Mammon, Levi and Beel came to thank you for not telling Lucifer they were involved too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> For the rest of day, the demon brothers look like they are behaving themselves. The scavenger hunt is made so the dorms are facing each other, which means you are currently working with Asmo and Simeon. Since all of you have brains, the scavenger hunt works more or less well. For a few minutes at least.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am so tired,” Asmo sighs, very dramatically. It’s the first clue that lets you all stagnate and it hasn't even been five minutes! He has no right to complain. </span>
</p><p>
  <span> You are scanning paintings for clues in a fancy corridor. If your guess is right, it’s one of the war paintings in this section. The other two are supposed to help you, but only you and Simeon are making an effort while Asmo sighs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have an idea,” Simeon says suddenly. You watch him march to a fancy (and graphic) painting of a war zone and look for a clue behind it. Simeon exclaims happily and takes a new clue from behind the painting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Great finding, Simeon!” you say. One less clue to worry about. You can’t wait for this to end. Diavolo can have such childish ideas… You are worried some day he may even pull a prom out of his ass.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Simeon smiles and hands you the new clue. This one is easier. You remember studying it in Devildom History classes, and should be on a painting portraying the big famine.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh~ Simeon is both gorgeous and intelligent~” Asmo says in his very flirtatious tone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, thank you~ You’re such a beauty too, Asmo,” Simeon says back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Wait, </span>
  <em>
    <span>what</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Did you hear that right? Why is Simeon flirting back to Asmo? Did Asmo charm him? Stopping, you look at them. You don’t believe it, but Simeon is certainly smiling funnily at Asmo.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh my~ I didn’t expect it. You have a good eye, too, of course,” Asmo keeps going on in his Asmo way. “I wonder why it took so long for you to compliment me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe I’m just now realizing your true beauty,” Simeon winks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Did I get sucked out by another painting and fall into another dimension?</span>
  </em>
  <span>’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” you call out, a bit of anger dropping from the word. It snaps their heart-filled eyes. “There are a lot of empty rooms here, go into one of them and continue it away from me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> There’s a beat of silence before Simeon busts out laughing. You look at him seriously and cross your arms, patiently waiting for his joke, prank or whatever, to end. Then, Asmo starts laughing loudly too. Your brow furrows and you walk menacingly towards them. Oh, so it </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> a joke to anger you? Great, now they have to face your fury.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You look like…” Asmo stops to laugh more, bending over his belly. “You look just like Lucifer!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh wow?!” you gasp, feeling like his words hit you in the face. “You may not know how to flirt with me but you sure know how to offend me, Asmodeus!” you scream, unable to hold back on your irritation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Asmo laughs even louder at your words, and Simeon is also almost falling to his knees besides him. You start stomping your foot on the ground. They will stop at some moment. Sure, you could always start walking again and leave them behind, but now you do want to hear their excuse.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ok, sorry, Tsuki,” Simeon is the first to speak again, trying hard to stop his never-ending wave of giggles. “I was not trying to anger you, I swear! My idea was to indulge Asmo to see where he would stop.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> The angel kind of looks sincere. Can angels even lie?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He would only stop after banging you, obviously,” you say simply, causing another loud laugh to escape Simeon’s lips. You sigh at him, starting to feel like a big clown.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They are right, you know,” Asmo tells him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I don’t think so,” Simeon says, showing Asmo a smile. The avatar of lust frowns and you show Simeon a confused expression. The angel chuckles at you both before explaining. “I knew you Asmo, back at the Celestial Realm, I don’t think you—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That was a long time ago,” Asmo quickly cuts him off. But Simeon doesn’t let himself be intimidated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anyway,” he continues, suddenly becoming a lot more serious, “I truly believe this personality of yours isn’t your real one. I think you try to show you are always in control and confident in yourself to hide your own insecurities. But now that you have made quite the reputation, you desperately try to hold on it, afraid to lose your fans or status if you ever show the </span>
  <em>
    <span>real</span>
  </em>
  <span> you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Your gaze goes from Simeon to Asmo. There’s a serious and somber expression on the avatar of lust that you have never seen before. For a second, you’re afraid he’s going to attack Simeon, but the avatar of lust smiles. A forced and sinister smile that could make water freeze.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have never listened to so much bullshit before in my entire life,” Asmo says. “You wasted a lot of saliva here, Simeon, because you couldn’t be more wrong!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Saying that, Asmo walks to you and takes the clue, not so kindly, from your hands and walks forward.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Never mind this nonsense, Tsuki!” Asmo yells, “Let’s get done with this child’s game. I’m tired and in need of a relaxing bath.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Ignoring Asmo (‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Wow, I never saw him so pissed off before’</span>
  </em>
  <span>), you turn to Simeon, just in time to see him sigh. Getting closer to the angel, you whisper to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think you’re onto something.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What can I say? I do have a good eye!” He laughs, sadly, before getting serious yet again. “Asmo is the one who changed the most, in my opinion. He has been wearing a mask for so long I’m afraid he lost sight of himself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You sure?” Simeon nods. “Sure, he just didn’t change? He did become a demon.”   </span>
</p><p>
  <span> Simeon sighs heavily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am sure, Tsuki. Also, try not to burden yourself with it, I hear you have a tendency to help out the brothers, but Asmo seems…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“More troubled than the others?” Simeon nods. “Haven’t you met Lucifer?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> The angel lets out a laugh again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fair point. Still. I’m serious. I can see your good intentions with the brothers but remember to keep everything with your limits,” he winks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You nod, agreeing with him. Looking again at the corridor, you see no sight of Asmo. The two of you should be going.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You </span>
  <em>
    <span>do</span>
  </em>
  <span> have a good eye.” Simeon simply shrugs with a happy expression.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Maybe you should start calling him Simeon the Wise. Pity you aren’t in the same dorm. Maybe you could try to hang out with him more in RAD—Simeon is cool.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You find Asmo next to the painting you thought of checking, with a new clue in hand. The atmosphere feels a bit heavy, but you manage to finish the scavenger hunt without any problems or distractions. Sadly, your group lost to Solomon’s team by a messy two minutes. Well, they did have both Solomon and Satan there. Mammon was probably some dead weight they had to prevent from stealing any castle relics. There’s no reward (but Diavolo does say ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>The true reward is the cooperation between angels, demons and humans!</span>
  </em>
  <span>’). You meet with Luke again after the dynamic ends and he lets you know he’ll make the most delicious food from the Celestial Realm you have ever tasted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But I never tasted Celestial food before, Luke,” you show him a sweet smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, that’s right. Then it’ll be the most delicious dessert you have ever tasted!” Luke says confidently.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Luke, just remember it’s dinner, not only pastries,” Simeon </span>
  <span>delicately</span>
  <span> reminds him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right…” Luke nods, but he doesn’t look so confident anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure everything you make will be delicious,” you keep smiling and lightly pat him on the back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aw, Tsuki is an angel, an angel disguised as a human!” he cries out a little. You let him hug you before parting ways into your respective guest rooms. Luke is just so cute, he’s like a little brother to you. Why are the demon brothers so rude to him? It always irritates you when they insist on calling him chihuahua or Fido (though he does remind you of a small dog). </span>
</p><p>
  <span> Back in your room, you take a bath and start preparing for the dance that will happen after dinner. No one told you about a fancy dinner with ballroom dancing, but then again, no one had told you about making dinner either. It’s all Mammon’s fault, the irresponsible idiot. You wonder why Lucifer ever lets him handle stuff like this, he just never does what he’s told. Luckily for you, Asmo came prepared and lends you some formal clothes. He brought way too many clothes after all. ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>I like having options,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he had said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Asmo calls you to make your makeup when you’re done dressing. Asmo fixes what is too large or tight with his sewing kit. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> came prepared for this event. The avatar of lust skips over any small talk when he starts talking, going straight to business.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Leaving Simeon and that giant mouth of his aside,” he starts, annoyed, “about this morning, I was really shocked when you blamed it all on me earlier!” he complains. Asmo is still pissed off by what Simeon said, which explains his sulking. You guess the angel really did hit a nerve, so something Simeon said must be true. However, Asmo smiles all of a sudden, washing his sulkiness away. “But thanks to you, Lucifer’s punishments also got a little lighter. Asking for him to lift the punishment was very brave and honorable. So, I decided that I will make a pact with you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But I didn’t get the photo,” you question him. “Oh wait, I can still get it, give me some time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Asmo laughs, an anger-free laugh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll be looking forward to it! But seriously, I want to make a pact with you. When you summoned me and made me use my power, I felt like my power had gotten so much stronger than earlier when Solomon did the same. This is exciting, I feel like you can bring out most of my powers like no one else!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You look at him with surprised eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seriously? I was stronger than </span>
  <em>
    <span>Solomon</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hum… I was very sleepy, but I’m pretty sure you did more than him, yep.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Hmm, that is interesting news. You pull Asmo closer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s not tell Solomon, ok?” Asmo examines you carefully and you smile. “I swear I’ll go out shopping with you more often and let you put makeup on me once per week.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Deal,” he smiles brightly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> When everyone is done, Asmo makes the pact with you. He wants the pact mark to be in an, uh, uncommon place, but you don’t allow it. Instead, Asmo holds onto your right ankle. He says it’s a pretty place to put on a pact mark. You feel the uncomfortable sensation of being marked by a bunch of needles at once. The feeling lasts for about a minute before stopping at once. Upon checking, you see the pink pact mark of the avatar of lust. Simeon congratulates you and tells you to make sure to learn how to use the power of the demons properly, for your own safety. You thank him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Dinner is mostly made by Luke. The texture and taste of the food from Celestial Realm is different, though tasty. Everyone happily eats it. Beel and Asmo talk a bit about how nostalgic the food is.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Diavolo and Barbatos take everyone to the ballroom after dinner. It's the most beautiful place you have seen in the castle so far. The floor and walls are all adorned in gold. There are big windows with stained glass in blue. The room is illuminated by several big chandeliers, also golden. The floor sparkles as if it were made from crystal. There are also a few demons from RAD that were invited for the dance tonight. Diavolo probably likes big and lively events. The prince of the Devildom tells his guests to be at ease. You don't get it until he transforms into his demon form. Diavolo has two sets of bat wings, black tattoos and lots of golden adornments in his clothes. Barbatos’s demon form pales in comparison; aside from a change of clothes, the only difference is a pair of skeleton bat wings on his head and a bright blue tail. The demon brothers all transform too. You feel some apprehension from seeing Lucifer in his demon form again. The last time you saw it, he was ready to kill you. The memory makes your stomach twist. Quickly, you go to Levi, who is trying to sneak away from the crowd. You ask him to go have some dinner with you, and the avatar of envy is happy to honor your request. </span>
</p><p>
  <span> After dinner, you sit with the demon brothers at a table in the corner of the ballroom. You are so tired. So much has happened in the last forty-eight hours, all you want is to listen to some music and go to sleep. Tomorrow is your cooking day anyway, you must be feeling well to prepare a feast. Not because you’re forced to, but because you want to wow everyone with your cooking, rub in their faces how great of a cook you are. Finally, an excuse to cook human food! You don’t know what to cook yet, it depends on the ingredients, but there are a few different dishes you wish you could try making. </span>
</p><p>
  <span> While watching the demons going to dance, you hear Mammon saying something, probably some bullshit, followed by teasing from both Levi and Satan. When you think about excusing yourself from here and searching for one of the angels or maybe Solomon to chat with for a bit, Lucifer appears in front of you.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tsuki, let's dance.” He offers his hand to you.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Mammon gasps and Satan says something you don't quite grasp. It is the first time you see Lucifer in his demon form when he's </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> angry. He has those two large sets of black feathered wings. His clothes are also red and black, but they have peacock feather details in gold. He's so beautiful. Even more so when he's not furious. Scanning his face for some trace of anger, you find none, which eases your anxiety. </span>
</p><p>
  <span> You take his hand, nodding even though that was hardly a question, it sounded more like a request. But truth be said, the first thing you thought of doing when Barbatos said there was going to be a dance was dancing with Lucifer. You don't know why, but the thought excites you. However, you didn't think it would be possible. Let alone to be invited by Lucifer himself. You’re still in disbelief of what is happening when he passes you another question.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you know how to dance?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good, then I don't need to explain anything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> He brings you to the middle of the dance floor and starts guiding you. He starts slow, giving you time to get used to the pace.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There's many reasons to ask someone for a dance.” He's talking. You are so worried about not embarrassing yourself or stepping on his foot you almost miss when Lucifer opens his mouth to talk. “They may want to do it so they can touch the other person, because they are interested or out of politeness.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘God, I wish it were because he's interested in me.’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>The thought immediately sends a red alarm in your brain. ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>What the hell am I thinking?</span>
  </em>
  <span>’ “Or, they want to have a particular conversation.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> The music changes to a slower ballad, and Lucifer gets closer. Your head starts spinning, and it’s like the anxiety is some sort of venom now circulating in your blood veins.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was just informed you made a pact with Asmo. Now, my brothers are free to do whatever they want. But I can't help but wonder, what are your intentions? Because, if you’re planning something, I </span>
  <em>
    <span>will</span>
  </em>
  <span> find out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh.” Your mind goes to Belphegor in the attic for a split second, but ends up dwelling on whenever or not Lucifer is jealous. Now your brain is working against time. Is he still suspecting Solomon? Does he think you are working something up with Solomon? He couldn’t be more wrong, especially since you don’t think Solomon takes you seriously. “I just want to be good friends with you and your brothers, Lucifer. That's all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> His gaze is intense. You feel his grip tighten a little on your hand. He's so close. Your noses are almost touching, your cheeks are starting to burn but the rest of your body feels cold.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that so? And you need to make pacts for it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, but…” Stopping, you try to organize your thoughts. You feel like your brain will short circuit soon from exhaustion. “I want to learn how to properly use the pact powers to protect myself. I'm tired of being so powerless all the time, I hate it.” Your voice is full of sincerity. Your gut twisters in pain and you can't help but look to the ground. You are not sure if you are even following a coherent train of thoughts, since you're feeling so many things at once. What is Lucifer even trying to say? You don't know. He’s suspicious of something, you just don’t know what or why. You wish he could be more straightforward.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> The music stops and so does Lucifer. His grip on your hand loosens. A gloved hand finds its way under your chin, guiding you to look up. Lucifer has a calm expression; his eyes are half lidded, studying your visage. You feel like time has stopped in that moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, I got it all wrong,” he says. His hand travels down your neck, ghosting over the skin, until it returns to him. A new music piece starts, a bit livelier than the last. The other people—</span>
  <em>
    <span>demons</span>
  </em>
  <span>—are starting to move again, but they are nothing but a blur to you. Your gaze stays set on Lucifer, stunned that he apologized for whatever bullshit he was thinking about you.The second Lucifer tries to leave your hand, you grab it firmly, making his eyes widen just a little.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can forgive you if you dance with me for a while longer,” you smile anxiously. Lucifer shows you a tiny smile. ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>He's so beautiful.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you wish.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> He complies and soon you two find a quicker pace to match the song. You don't know for how long you two danced. You lose track of time and the number of songs that play. While dancing, you are able to forget your problems and your worries. Focusing on only the song, the dance, and Lucifer, you are able to smile and laugh, and Lucifer does so too, matching your expressions as if he were as engrossed as you. The thought of him enjoying dancing with you makes you happy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> When you finally stop, you are panting and your feet hurt. You stop a waiter and drink a glass of not-water in one go. Hopefully it won't make you drunk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who taught you how to dance?” Lucifer was slightly panting too, though he is in better shape than you. “I’m surprised by your dancing skills, they are good.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks! I learned it at my aunt's dance academy during high school,” you tell him, excited. It's good to know you can still dance this well even after having so little practice in years. Hearing compliments always makes you feel better. “My aunt thought the dance lessons could help me with my balancing issues. I took lessons for ballroom dance, ballet, jazz and hip hop.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And it helped you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A little. It helped me more to overcome some of my social anxiety.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Lucifer nods. He's still close to you, for some reason. It doesn't take long, however, until Diavolo comes to ask Lucifer to meet him for a minute. He does compliment your dancing, saying you and Lucifer both were dancing beautifully, making your face go all red.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You make for the table where Levi and Beel are sitting and join them. They also compliment your dancing skills, and you thank them while smiling sweetly. You eat some of the desserts Beel has brought and rest for a while. When Solomon comes to ask you to dance, you have to politely decline. You quickly dispatch Solomon away, saying you’ll discuss learning more about the pacts when you’re both back at RAD. You don’t know if he takes offense at your refusal or not, but he does go away. You don’t know if Lucifer is still suspicious of you and Solomon, but better to not fuel it any longer.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span> The next morning you spend the whole time cooking in the Castle’s main kitchen. Some of the castle cooks help you and Solomon prepare the food, and Barbatos is also here. You’re tired and ready to go back home when the table is ready. Cooking is a good way to make yourself not think about the demons (read Lucifer), but now that you’re done you have no more distractions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> The demon brothers and the angels came all excited. You make your plate, calmly. Not even a minute passes and you hear loud complaints.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ew, human food is disgusting,” Asmo pouts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm, I’m worried if it is even edible…” Satan wonders.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tsuki, aren’t you supposed to be a great cook? What happened?” Mammon questions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>  Even Beel suddenly stops eating. Beel!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What the Hell are you guys on?!” you yell in anger. “I poured my heart and soul in this food! I know how to cook </span>
  <em>
    <span>very </span>
  </em>
  <span>well! How </span>
  <em>
    <span>dare </span>
  </em>
  <span>you all hate it!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You storm to see their plates, and are taken aback when you see they only picked what Solomon cooked. Curious, you taste it. The taste is all wrong. The texture is off and you can’t feel what it is supposed to taste like. The best way to describe the food would be as if someone dropped a bunch of random spices in the dishes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Solomon,” you start, searching for the fellow human. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>What</span>
  </em>
  <span>, exactly, did you do right here? Do you even know how to cook?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I never cooked before,” he admitted, not looking bothered at all. “My family is big and rich so we always had servants and cooks. I tried adding everything I liked to the dishes to make them taste better!” He smiles, happy with himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You look at him with disgust and a bit of worry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Solomon, that’s not how you cook… Did you at least follow the recipes?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“To a degree.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>  ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Unbelievable.’</span>
  </em>
  <span> You cross your arms. Looks like even someone who appears to be perfect, like Solomon, can have some flaws. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Taste it. I dare you to tell me it’s good,” you challenge him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Never losing his good mood, Solomon tastes his own cooking. His smile drops, and he stares at the food, confused. He takes another bite and deeply frowns.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh…it doesn’t taste like I wanted it to…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, stick with the recipes next time,” you scold him, coldly, making Solomon drop his eyes in shame. Then you turn to the demons and angels. “Sorry, please eat only what I cooked, this is awful. I’ll throw it out and will go back to the kitchen to make more.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> The demons and angels look at you shocked and concerned; they know you spent a long time cooking in the castle kitchen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please leave it to me,” Barbatos comes to you in a hurry. “You did a lot already and I guess it was my fault for not paying enough attention to Solomon’s cooking. Enjoy the lunch while I take care of it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Barbatos takes the awful food from your hands and gestures for you to sit, and you do as he says. Everyone starts picking on the food that is left. Their reactions are better this time. You hear compliments from the brothers and angels while Solomon sulks.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span> Back at the House of Lamentation, the first thing you notice when you’re unpacking your belongings is that the demon brothers have added you to another chat: “Lucifer’s spicy sleeping photos.” All the messages are cheers for you to accomplish this task. You sigh. There isn’t a single calm day in this fucking house.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>The next chapter is more of a bonus for this part. Look forward to it~</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Next To Me</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>‘Oh, I always let you down/ You're shattered on the ground/ But still I find you there/ Next to me/ And oh, stupid things I do/ I'm far from good, it's true/ But still I find you/ Next to me’<br/>Next To Me by Imagine Dragons</p><p>Last chapter of part 1! Super self-indulgent scene I added to part 1 as a bonus :D enjoy~</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Bonus Chapter - Next To Me</strong>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You wake up pressed against someone else. Slowly opening an eye, you recognize Lucifer and his bed. You hadn’t ended up here on purpose. Solomon was fulfilling his promise and teaching you how to summon the demons you have pacts with and use their powers. He complimented you and said you have a great talent. Asmo kept quiet about considering you more powerful than Solomon that one time, but since Solomon is very intelligent and he doesn't throw away compliments for free, he probably knows exactly the extent of your powers and is more than likely keeping himself quiet while teaching you the basic of the basic. Luckily, the demon brothers are also experienced with witches and are being helpful too, especially Mammon, who loves to talk about the witches he works for. Mammon had offered to take you to the witches, if you ever feel like Solomon is deceiving you, but since the witches live in the human world it would have to wait.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Thanks to the hard work, you have been sleeping later and the hours after dinner have turned into your favorite moments to study. And the next exams are coming soon. You just happened to bump into Lucifer last night, around 2AM, after finishing all your homework. You were tired and when Lucifer asked if you were having problems sleeping you said ‘yes’ before even processing his question. He suggested spending the night in his bed and you couldn’t say ‘yes’ any faster.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You almost forget your promise to Asmo. It’s only after a few minutes of staring at Lucifer’s sleeping face that you remember it. Sadly, your D.D.D. is so far away, on the nightstand. Moving as slow as humanly possible, you almost manage to escape Lucifer’s embrace without waking him. When he moves, you quickly say you’re going to the bathroom and will be back soon. You take a bit more time than necessary, praying that Lucifer is so sleepy he will sleep again. Walking on your tiptoes, ridiculously slow, you take your D.D.D., turn off the sound, and get in the bed again. Eyes never leaving Lucifer. Now you’re wide awake. Sitting next to the demon, you open the camera and take a photo. Then two more, just because you’re trembling and you want a </span>
  <em>
    <span>perfect</span>
  </em>
  <span> photo.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Bad luck makes a return and Lucifer opens his eyes. You freeze with the D.D.D. in your hands, right in front of you. You close the camera and hide the D.D.D. behind you, but it’s too late, he saw it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you just…take a photo of me?” Lucifer asks, slowly getting up, one eye open. You are too shocked to respond. “Let me see your D.D.D..”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No!” you say in panic.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No?” Now Lucifer is wide awake. He looks at you as if he knows something is wrong, and your face probably has ‘guilty’ written all over it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You need to think </span>
  <em>
    <span>fast</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Lucifer is not fond of lies; you also don’t feel like you </span>
  <em>
    <span>can</span>
  </em>
  <span> lie to his face. Maybe if you manage to work on a white lie…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“S-sorry!” You force yourself to speak. “I did take a photo of you! It’s just that…you look so cute and peaceful while sleeping that I couldn’t help myself.” You scan over his face; he is not happy. “I’m not going to show it to anyone! If that’s what you’re thinking.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Lucifer narrows his eyes. He seems to ponder your words carefully. Fuck his stupid brothers, always making things harder for you. Lucifer scratches his chin. He's planning something.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Truly?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“T…Truly,” you confirm, stuttering in a simple word. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span> his brothers, you’re SELLING this photo now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Lucifer hums. His eyes trail down your body, then, when he smirks, a shiver travels down your body.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“In this case, I think it’s only fair for me to take a photo of you too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>What?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A photo for a photo,” he says, smugly. “Or, you could delete my photo and everything will be fine as well.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> You think about it for a few seconds. Your fear is starting to melt into embarrassment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, I’m not sleeping?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t need to,” his smirk grows bigger.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span> The demon moves to get his D.D.D. and you look down at yourself. You’re wearing a small purple short and a loose shirt with a sheep print. You feel like you’re showing way too much skin, and the pact marks are also all visible, but you don’t have the willpower to hide them now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>  Lucifer comes backs with his D.D.D. and starts getting ready. ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh my Lord, he is serious.’</span>
  </em>
  <span> You deserve a million grimm for that photo of him. Not moving a muscle, you stare at Lucifer, smiling greatly while looking at his phone screen. You wait. Isn’t he taking a bit too long?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lucifer, if you are filming me, I swear I’ll make you </span>
  <em>
    <span>eat</span>
  </em>
  <span> this D.D.D.,” you growl at him after a few seconds of Lucifer messing around with his device.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> He immediately covers his mouth, trying hard to not laugh but failing. Part of you is angry, but the other part can only wish he hasn't done that, since you’re dying to know what he looks like when laughing. All you can hear are some muffed giggles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re amazing, Tsuki,” he snorts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m serious,” you warn.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know,” he passes a hand over his face, looking like he just cleaned a tear from his eye. He has a goofy smile on his face. “I was just trying to get the best angle.” He fixes his D.D.D. again and you hear the sound of a photo being taken. “Here, I’m done,” he observes the photo he took, satisfied. “If you show the photo of me sleeping to anyone, I’ll show this photo of you around too. Do we have a deal?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” you agree. A big part of you wants to see that photo, but you </span>
  <em>
    <span>know</span>
  </em>
  <span> Lucifer is not showing it to you.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>  It’s almost time to get ready for the academy and you are both awake, so you wish Lucifer a good morning and leave his bedroom. Only inside your room do you have the courage to look at the sleeping Lucifer photos. He looks so different here, peaceful and not annoying. You can show it to his brothers, but if they want to have the photo they’ll have to </span>
  <em>
    <span>pay</span>
  </em>
  <span>. No way you’re leaving this situation empty handed. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>BONUS BONUS </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lucifer POV</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span> When Tsuki closes the door, Lucifer looks back at his D.D.D.. He has taken </span>
  <em>
    <span>several</span>
  </em>
  <span> photos of them, but damn, the small human is too sharp; something he dreaded in the beginning, a human that is too smart for their own good. Now, however, he finds it amusing. They can even put on a good challenge.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> He swipes the photos around until he chooses his favorite. It’s the first one he took. They are looking more distraught in this one, eyes big and fearful, hiding their D.D.D. behind them with one hand and the other squeezing his grey bed sheets. Their thighs are close together while sitting in the bed. The way the shirt falls off on their right shoulder, exposing their neck, is just too much. He can’t even mind how it is possible to see all three of their pact marks. They look so cute and innocent, just like the sheep drawn on their purple and white pajamas. As cute as they look, Tsuki wouldn’t be a sheep. Too passive of an animal. Maybe something both cute and fierce, something that can growl and bite. Like…a tiger. A small tiger. Or a wolf. Lucifer is quite fond of big dogs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Truth be said, Lucifer would rather burn his D.D.D. to ashes before showing Tsuki’s pictures to anyone (</span>
  <em>
    <span>especially</span>
  </em>
  <span> to his brothers), but he couldn’t pass on a chance of photographing the human in their cute pajamas. And it also served as threat material. However, Lucifer is convinced Tsuki is planning to show his sleeping picture to his brothers anyway. Out of curiosity, he opens the tracking app. They are in their room, as expected. Tsuki wouldn’t be dumb enough to go straight to Mammon’s or Satan’s room and show them the photo. Well, if they do share the photo, Lucifer better not find out, otherwise he’ll have to punish the human. The thought brings a shiver to his spine. </span>
</p><p>
  <span> Licking his lips, Lucifer tries to imagine how the human would react to him groping their thighs, slowly, all the way up. How would it taste to kiss their neck? Would they shriek when he raises their shirt to look at their abdomen and chest? He wants to know what expressions they would make while Lucifer does all of it to them. How they would say his name when he… </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ah</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Lucifer stops that train of thought. Being realistic, Tsuki would fight back at the first touch Lucifer managed to try. Who would have thought a human would stir up such feelings inside of him?</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>"How does Lucifer know where Tsuki is all the time?” There's a GPS app hidden on Tsuki’s D.D.D.. Only Lucifer and Diavolo can access it to see where they are at all times. It's just for their safety but Lucifer abuses it XD</p><p> </p><p>Thank you as always to everyone who reads this story I so obsessive write about my new addiction, Obey Me!<br/>More parts coming soon! &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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